State of Armageddon
by SW4G M4N
Summary: This is a sequel to the Return. The life of a hero is a life full of sorrow and a very little thanks. The world has had enough of heroes and villains raging war against each other. A plan is devised by shadows and demons to return balance to the world, but at a horrifying cost. Batman's will and strength will be pushed to the limit by his one and only equal. VERY VERY VERY AU
1. Prologue

**A/N: The sequel to my story 'The Return'. I hope you all enjoy! Remember to leave a review or a favorite if you like what you see. Also, there will be one or two characters from Young Justice (since this is the next generation of heroes).**

Prologue

Samuel Cobblepot took a long drag from his cigar as he watched over his hired muscle. Twirling his revolver dangerously, he kept darting his eyes back and forth nervously. He constantly checked each shadow, as if they were possessed by some wrathful demon. Pulling out his pocket watch, Cobblepot checked the time. They had about two minutes until their ship docked, full of priceless collectables and other illegally obtained goods. Punctuality was key now a day. Gotham was under a new law, and it sure as hell wasn't the police.

"Hurry up," he barked, glaring towards his henchmen dressed in black and white.

"The shipment isn't even here boss," one called back to him, fed up with being in the cold.

Cobblepot glared and turned his muscular frame, pointing his gun towards the unsuspecting man. With a deafening bang, the revolver went off and killed the man, his body falling in the harbor.

"Anyone else care to question me?" he asked, daring a single thug to open his mouth. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "Stupid Batman, putting this kind of strain on my business."

Samuel Cobblepot had inherited the famous Iceberg Lounge from his father, the deformed and ugly Oswald Cobblepot. Samuel was proud that he was significantly better looking then his father. He wasn't born with those disgusting hands or long nose. In fact, he was quite the playboy, even ranking up there with his hated business and social rival, Christian Wayne. Ever since the Batman returned, Cobblepot had gained a new nickname, the Osprey. He actually liked it, the name commanded more fear and respect then penguin.

"Boss, ship is here!"

Cobblepot turned his head towards the foggy bay and saw a ship pull into the docks and lower its bridge.

"Go on then," he commanded in his heavy British accent, pointing towards the ship, "I don't have all night!"

His men began unloading the shipment as his three personal bodyguards approached him, all holding military grade assault rifles. All three were beautiful, and all three were his. Cobblepot was a bit of a pack rat, like his father. He enjoyed thinking that the three dangerous girls were his property.

He watched as all the crates passed him, each containing a priceless valuable inside. Items stolen and procured from all around the globe ran through Samuel's greedy hands. As he continued to laud over his stolen treasures, he pulled one specific box over to the side.

"This one I'm keeping for myself," he laughed, holding his hand out. One of his bodyguards placed a crowbar in it, and Cobblepot began to crack it open. Once he popped the top, his eyes widened happily.

Inside, almost glowing, was a snow-white bird gem. Its eyes were ruby red; its chest was sapphire. "This is truly a work of art," he said to himself, licking his lips greedily.

As he reached for his stolen sculpture, three of his henchmen screamed out in pain and dropped into the river.

"Damnit," he growled, "He's here…"

Suddenly, four more of his henchmen fell to the ground, each with large bullet wounds in their legs or arms.

"It's a shame Sammy, we would get along so well if we didn't have the same taste," said a sweet and seductive voice.

Samuel looked around for the voice, "Oh no! Damnit, leave my shipment alone, go find your own things to steal!"

"Sorry Sammy, but that gem you had stowed away on that nasty ship caught my eye."

Samuel kept looking around for her, trying to find some sort of hint that might give away her position. This bitch had been messing with his shipments for the past couple of weeks and had never been caught.

"Show yourself whore! Or are you afraid the minute I see you I'll snap you neck?"

"If you insist," suddenly a woman in a white jumpsuit appeared in front of him and kicked him in the chest with her heel boots.

Samuel stood up, a bit dazed, and got a full look at the thief. She was incredibly beautiful, having all the right curves in all the right places. She wore a confident smirk, along with a white jumpsuit that looked as effective as it did expensive. A mask covered the top part of her face, and a silver bird emblem was on the chest of her suit. Strapped to her suit were several guns, and high powered ones at that. Her blue eyes and her ruby red lips were all that were shown by the mask.

"Nice getup," Samuel taunted, "you getting in the spirit with all the other wack jobs in this city?"

"You're hardly one to talk, Osprey," she retorted, keeping her confident smile.

"I'm gonna looking forward to shooting that grin off your face," he sneered, bringing his revolver up towards her.

Before he could even think of pulling the trigger, she pulled one of her pistols from its holster and shot the gun right out of his hand. Samuel's pupils shrank as he raised his hands defenselessly.

"Good boy," the mysterious woman told him, "now toss over the bird."

Samuel threw the diamond bird to her, with several grumbles and curses under his breath.

"Now, now, no need to be a sore loser," she told him as she put the statuette in her bag. She noticed Cobblepot suddenly had a wide grin on his face, as if he had just won the lottery.

She gave him a suspicious look, "What's so funny?"

Cobblepot snickered, "If you wanna make it big in this town, you gotta deal with the same problems we do. Problems like the one behind you."

"What's behind me?" she demanded in an annoyed tone of voice

"Me."

She whirled around, coming face to face with a tall figure in a black cowl. Cobblepot continued to grin happily; karma finally was on his side.

"Mam, I believe you have heard of the Batman," Samuel taunted

The woman merely smiled seductively at the legend in front of her. "If it isn't the dark angel of Gotham. My, my, you look much better in person."

"Who are you," Batman questioned, trying to get a read on her.

"You're asking a masked woman who she is? A bit ironic, isn't it?"

Batman glared at her angrily, he was losing his patience.

The woman just giggled confidently, "Oh I'm just playing. You can call me Siren."

"Well Siren, you have one chance to give back what you stole," he demanded, holding his hand out. Something about this woman, Siren, bothered him. He could usually get a read on everyone he fought, and that reading was usually fear. Siren didn't seem to be intimidated at all by him. Her pupils didn't show any emotion but pure coolness.

"Sorry handsome, but I think I'll keep this one," she answered.

With surprising speed, she did a back flip and kicked off Batman's chest, causing him to stumble backwards a bit. Before Batman could lunge at her, she shot a grapple gun up to the roof of the nearest building and launched herself up.

Siren landed on the roof perfectly and broke out into a sprint. Soon after, a dark shadow began looming over her, following her as she jumped from roof to roof.

Siren looked up and saw Batman gliding towards her, his white eyes contrasting heavily from the night sky.

"You know, I like a man who never gives up," she called to him before she jumped across a whole street, using small jets on her shoes to propel herself further.

When she landed, she took another look at the sky and saw Batman was gone. With a smug smile and a chuckle, she began to walk forward. Before she could get three feet, she bumped right into the dark knight.

Glaring down at Siren, he told again calmly, "Give it back now."

Siren smiled and brought her body closer to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. Batman was surprised by this reaction, but was not going to be swayed by it. Seduction wouldn't work on him.

Siren began to run her finger on his emblem, as if she was tracing the outline and asked in a sweet voice, "Oh c'mon tall dark and brooding, just let a lady have her fun."

Batman became more frustrated as he began to notice she was _actually_ making him sweat. He had to do something fast.

Pushing her away, he growled, "The hard way it is."

Siren glared at him and answered, "Fine Batman, I guess it is!"

She immediately disappeared from sight, much to Batman's surprise. He suddenly felt something hit him in the back of the head, knocking him over. She had turned invisible, but how?

"Cowl, calibrate for high sound detection," he murmured quietly

As he stood up, Batman heard the quiet sound of Siren's boots running towards him. The dark knight spun around quickly, grabbing her by the wrists and turning her around. He jacked her arm up higher as he held them behind her back, not letting go until she gave back what she stole.

"Ooo, I see you like it rough," she purred, leaning her head back so she could whisper in his ear.

"A heat concealing invisibility suit," he said to her in his intimidating tone of voice, "fancy stuff for a thief."

"Believe it or not, I stole it," she responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "It's a prototype, one of a kind."

"I'm turning you in," Batman growled, which only seemed to give Siren even more enjoyment.

"Sorry Bats, but I have other plans in mind."

Batman readied himself for some secret weapon or hidden blade, but what happened next shocked him even more. Siren leaned backwards and kissed him on the lips, causing him to loosen his grip just enough so she could escape.

"See you around handsome," she told him, giving him a mock salute. Siren then turned invisible and jumped off the edge of the building.

Batman just stood wide-eyed looking towards where she had just left. He couldn't decide whether or not that was the boldest thing he's ever seen anyone do.

"So Mr. Wayne, I see your affinity for women has returned," his secretary, Eve, now the new Oracle, joked over the line.

Batman inwardly rolled his eyes and answered, "Oracle, I need all information on that stolen stealth suit from Lex Corp, I think I may have found it."

"Hold on sir, you have an urgent call on the other line," Eve reported suddenly, "It's from… Ms. Kent!"

Batman quickly answered, "Put her through!"

Some static came through the feed until he finally heard Kara's voice over the radio. She sounded drained of all her energy and in extreme pain.

"Batman, look out! They're coming for yo…"

"Superwoman! Superwoman!" Batman yelled, trying to improve the signal strength manually. The transmission cut off, leaving him to try and interpret what she meant.

As he began trying to reconnect with the line, he heard footsteps from the surrounding rooftops. They sounded like heavy combat boots; someone really was after him.

Batman quickly hid in the shadows, waiting for whoever was trying to sneak up on him to show themselves. Observing quietly from the darkness, he saw several soldiers approaching where he had once been, looking very confused. Each of them had an L patch on their shoulder, branding them Lex Corp officers.

"Where'd he go? He was here a second ago," one of them thought aloud.

"I don't know, just spread out and find him!" another yelled, turning on his night vision goggles and signaling the soldiers on the building across from them.

Batman lay in wait until one unlucky soldier passed him. He quickly burst from the shadows and wrapped his arms around the Lex trooper's neck, chocking him into unconsciousness.

The other soldier quickly came running, but was knocked out by a powerful blow to the head before he could turn the corner. Batman continued to weave behind cover and the shadows, as the troops on the other roof were now alerted of his presence. He pulled out three batarangs and calibrated his cowl to assist his aim. After taking a deep breath, Batman rolled from out of cover and threw the three batarangs, each finding their mark on one of the soldiers. While they were dazed and confused, Batman jumped off and glided towards them.

He flew into one of the soldiers and knocked him down instantly. The dark knight rolled into action, using the batclaw to disarm the nearest trooper. He charged the unarmed soldier, grabbed him by the back of his neck, and began kneeing him in the stomach until the man lost his breath and was knocked out.

More soldiers began to charge him, wielding large metal batons. Batman fought them off, dodging and countering each of their attacks. He ducked under one swing and followed up with a swift uppercut. His uppercut flowed smoothly into an elbow to one of the soldier's neck.

One of the men grabbed Batman from behind, refusing to let go. The caped crusader growled in annoyance as he tried to shake the stubborn soldier off. Finally, he slammed his back into the wall and then turned, giving the soldier a jaw breaking right hook. One last soldier charged him, letting loose a battle cry as he tried to catch the Batman with his baton. Batman stepped to the side and tripped the man, grabbing him by the head before he could hit the ground and slamming it against the rail next to him.

He made one last check to make sure he had taken out the last of the soldiers, and then moved to a secure location.

"Oracle," he called over the transmitter, "Lex Luthor is after the league, and it looks like he has permission to do so."

"Wait, how is did Lex Luthor get permission to hunt down league members?"

Batman grabbed a newspaper that was being flung around in the wind and took one look at it. He grimaced and answered, "I'm not sure, but we're about to find out."

**A/N: And thus it begins! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue to the second story in the Return saga.**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed my prologue (I don't usually do them). Here's chapter one. Remember to leave a review or a favorite if you really liked it!**

** IsaacClark: Yeah, Siren will be the femme fatal, but she's going to be a little different then Catwoman.**

** Guest: I'm going to try and incorporate some more villains from other heroes for this story. It's going to need a large cast.**

Chapter One: The Prison

"Mr. Wayne! Mr. Wayne!" reporters called to him, their video cameras shoved in his face and their cameras blinding him with their obnoxious flashes. Christian just smiled and shielded his eyes as he walked into the large courthouse. Eve followed closely in suit, fending off interviewers and the other hazards of being famous.

"Mr. Wayne I have your petition right here," she told him, pulling out her clipboard and signing it herself. She folded the page in an envelope as the two walked through the heavy wooden doors.

Christian took a look at it, and then slipped it into his pocket. He and Eve continued down the hallways of the court, walking with a purpose. Christian's lawyers began to follow him, telling him of possible fines and business relationships lost due to this course of action. He just waved them off, not moving his eyes from his pathway.

He knew how important this was. The future could change dramatically for better or for worse depending on the outcome of this meeting. Held in the Gotham courtroom, the meeting involved every nation on earth.

"Mr. Wayne!" the reporters kept yelling to him, "Mr. Wayne, what has sparked your interest in political matters? Is this more about Lex Corp then the actual issue?"

Eve moved in-between the cameras and Christian, blocking him from the media.

"Would you like me to write a statement sir?" she asked him as she drafted one on a free sheet of paper.

"No thanks Eve, I don't think I should have to justify my actions."

This caused an outburst of applause and uproar from those forced to stand aside. Eve smiled and tucked the pen behind her ear. Christian continued to give his winning Wayne Family Smile to the news as he entered the main courtroom.

Inside he saw a tall bald man and a brunette woman standing in the middle of the isle waiting for him, each with fake smiles plastered to their faces.

"Mr. Wayne, I'm glad you could make it on time," the man greeted, shaking Christian's hand.

Christian gave an equally fake face and said, "Oh Lex, you can call me Christian. I think by know we're on a first name basis."

Luthor chuckled, and so did Christian. He knew how to play this game just as well as Luthor did, even if the cut throat businessman had about thirty or so years on him (though Luthor for some reason looked as if he was in his late thirties). Christian knew how to look the innocent flower while be the serpent underneath.

"So Luthor, before we get started I must know how my fathers old rival is doing," Christian asked in a friendly tone.

Luthor chuckled lightly, "I've been doing wonderfully, thank you for asking. I see you went the personal attendant route instead of the butler route like your father. Mercy here has been working as my security and attendant for as long as I can remember."

"Well my father actually hired Eve to keep track of me back in my more wild years," Christian told him, noticing that Eve shivered a bit when she heard Luthor.

Luthor patted him on the back, "Well Christian, it is a shame we are on the opposite sides of this argument."

"Well I we are both professionals, I'm sure we can handle the competition. May the best man win, I say."

"Yes," Luthor muttered to himself, "in that case this should be easy."

The director of the assembly took his seat in front of them and called out loudly, "Order! This meeting is now in session!"

The delegates from around the world sat down in their respective chairs, along with Christian and Luthor.

Christian picked a small tracking device off his coat and handed it to Eve. He whispered to her, "Would you mind disposing of Mr. Luthor's tracker?"

"Of course Mr. Wayne, anything to get as far away from that man as possible. I can't believe I was compared to that… half human woman."

He nodded to her as Eve quietly left the room to stick the device on the nearest bus to Smallville. Taking a sip from his water, Christian looked through his notes, making sure everything was in order. Eve had organized everything perfectly, just as he had expected.

"We are all here to discuss the containment facility known as the Armageddon State. Would anyone like to say anything before we begin?"

A delegate from France stood up and asked, "Do you mind explaining what the Armageddon State is, for those who have not done their reading?"

The ambassador nodded and began reading off his notes, "The Armageddon State is a containment facility built and funded by Lex Corp. Its function is to contain all criminals labeled as "Super Villains" along with their associates, as well as the labeled "Heroes" they fight against. Luthor, would you like to explain in more depth?"

Luthor nodded and stood up, smiling like a crocodile, "Hello my good men and women. For too long have the so-called heroes and the villains threatened society they create. These all-powerful beings and psychopaths have waged a war that has caused an innumerable amount of damage. They have no regard for others around them or the laws of society, only their hatred for each other. For those of us without these abilities, all we can do is watch in abject horror as they tear everything apart! So what can we, the normal people, do to protect ourselves? We set aside an area where these warriors and barbarians can settle their differences without hurting anyone else! In the Armageddon State, we will allow them to live however they choose, but within reason."

The different representatives began murmuring amongst each other, discussing the issue quietly. The ambassador wrote Luthor's first statement down in his book and then cleared his throat, silencing everyone in the room.

He nodded towards Christian and said, "Mr. Wayne, I understand you are making a rebuttal as to why Armageddon State is not the best course of action?"

Christian pulled on his tie a bit and looked over to Eve, who gave him an approving nod.

"People of the committee, is this how we show gratitude? These heroes have saved our earth numerous times from multiple threats! We cannot lock someone away because of what they might do, that isn't due process. Heroes such as the ones on the Justice League cannot be held responsible for the villains they fight either. There will always be bad people in the world. There were people like these criminals before any super heroes. The only difference between then in now is that there are people willing to stand up against injustice, to show us that we do not have to live in fear. I say free the heroes, allow them to fight for the innocent and defend them from the corruption that plagues society!"

More mutters came from the committee as Christian sat down next to Eve, who gave him an approving pat on the back. Christian sighed and looked over to Lex Luthor, who was still smiling confidently.

He knew from the start this was an uphill battle. Luthor had paid off all the right people, possibly even the ambassador, to make sure that Christian didn't stand a chance.

After multiple debates and conversations, the meeting was coming to a close. It looked as if most were in favor of Lex, fearing their own power would be ripped from their decadent fingertips.

The ambassador motioned for four other officials, holding the documents for Lex's project under his arm. The officials walked over to him and huddled in a group, chatting and coming up with a decision.

Eve tapped her pencil nervously, while Christian simply observed corruption at its finest go to work. After they finished talking the group broke up and the ambassador stood in front of his podium, ready to make a decision.

"The council has come to a decision," he announced, tapping his papers together, "and it has voted in favor of Mr. Lex Luthor. While Mr. Wayne brought up very concrete points, we believe that it just isn't safe to have such a power out of check. Effective immediately, all Meta humans and other vigilantes involved with the justice league are ordered to turn themselves in, along with any associates. All 'super criminals' and their associates will be relocated to this holding facility as well. The council is sorry it had to come to this, we cannot risk the safety of average citizens."

Eve dropped her pencil in disbelief, while Christian just glared adamantly at the ambassador. Tightening his fists angrily, he forced a smile on his face as he stood to shake Luthor's hand.

The ambassador stood in the middle to make sure no one was too bitter about the outcome, and patted both men on the back.

"You put up a good argument," Lex told Christian, giving him a backhanded smile, "but you must remember I have many more years of experience. You mustn't blame yourself."

"Well you were very persuasive Mr. Luthor. Of course, you have always had a silver tongue," Christian responded, shaking Luthor's hand on top of his fake compliment.

Luthor nodded and called "Mercy!"

His attendant followed him outside, along with a mob of press folk. Christian glared at the unforgiving businessman as he walked out. Once he was sure Luthor was out of his hearing range, Christian called over to Eve.

"Shall I get the car Mr. Wayne?" she asked him softly

Christian nodded, "We need to find a different approach. Jesus, Luthor's bought off the whole system."

The two speed walked over towards the limo, Christian staying calm and resolute. He scowled the whole way to his car, trying to figure out a way to stop something as big as War City. He was on his own, seeing as four weeks ago the leaders of the Justice League had been captured and held in custody until the hearing. The hearing he had just failed to stop.

Eve opened the door for him, and Christian slid in. Once inside, he pulled a laptop from a secret compartment in the seat and turned it on, connecting it to the bat computer.

"Eve, get us home as fast as possible," he told her while he updated the case file.

As they pulled out of the garage, a large armored vehicle with soldiers stopped them.

Eve rolled down the window and asked, "Can I help any of you?"

The soldier forced open the car door and grabbed Eve violently. Eve struggled and tried to break free, but the man was too strong for her.

"Ms. Evelyn Wesson, you and Mr. Wayne are under arrest for attempting to collaborating on an escape plan from War City. You both have the right to remain silent!"

Three other soldiers pulled Christian out of the car, ripping his jacket as they did. He didn't dare fight back, so not to give them any suspicion of his true identity.

"What's the meaning of this?" Christian yelled in his best rich snob voice, pulling weakly against the soldiers' grip.

"Your struggling is more pathetic then your lady friend's" one of the armed men laughed as they pulled them to the armored truck.

Christian threatened, "you should see me when I'm trying."

This caused the other soldiers to laugh even harder, not even thinking that he had any fighting skills. One of them walked over to him holding a police baton.

"Nighty Night Wayne" he growled as he pulled it back and struck Christian on the side of the head.

He began to lose consciousness, his vision growing dark as he heard Eve yell to him, "Mr. Wayne, Christian!"

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Christian began to slowly regain his consciousness; his head throbbed with pain from the hit he took earlier. As his vision returned, he looked around and tried to get a grasp on his surroundings.

The room he was in was dimly lit, the only light shined brightly in his eyes.

He found himself still in his business suit and bound tightly to what looked like a surgeon's chair. When he looked around, he saw multiple televisions, all of them flashing between the Lex Corp symbol and the Armageddon State logo. It was official; he had become Lex Luthor's political prisoner.

"Ah, you're awake I see,"

A sharp pain shot through Christian's body as the man electrocuted him from behind. He cried out in pain as the electricity crackled on his skin.

"Come now Mr. Wayne, you have had enough rest," the man taunted in a calm voice, sending another shock through Christian's body.

Christian suddenly recognized the voice that was speaking to him. He knew this confrontation would happen sooner or later, but not like this.

"Identity?" he growled, "I thought… I thought the Joker killed you…"

"Come now Mr. Wayne, were you not listening to anything I said three years ago? One cannot kill a belief."

Christian's eyes went wide with fear. Identity had said that to one man only, Batman.

"Yes Mr. Wayne, I'm afraid your arrogance has cost you dearly. You assumed that you were above all others, that you were invincible."

Christian's mind raced, trying to figure out if Identity actually knew his secret. He could have just been bluffing, so Christian decided to stay on guard. Another shock surged through him, more powerful then the ones he had received previously.

Christian took a couple seconds to regain his breath, and then snarled, "Shut the Armageddon State down! It's a disaster waiting to happen!"

Identity chuckled, "No, no the disaster hasn't even begun yet. Armageddon State is only the beginning. As for you, I'm just glad you are here to witness it first hand, BATMAN!"

His secret was out. Identity knew exactly who he was, and who knows whom else he might have told.

Finally, Identity stepped in front of him, allowing Christian to see him in person for the first time. The red oni mask was caked with blood and its beady eyes stared holes into his soul.

"I don't believe I will be needing this as of right now," Identity told him, pulling off his mask and placing it on the surgical tray next to him. The face under the mask was a young man with dark brown hair, not unlike Christian's, with black colored eyes. He had a defined chin, as well as a long scar running across his cheek.

"Well Mr. Wayne, while I admit our first run in was quite enjoyable, I do believe a proper introduction is in order."

"You, I saw you during the council meeting. You were one of the board members!"

Identity nodded and said, "I must say, publicly campaigning against the Armageddon State was a risky move on your part, a move that I too easily took advantage of. I do hope you enjoy your stay here. The league will be most pleased that I have captured you."

Christian tried to think on what league would want him captured. It couldn't be the Justice League, but what other league did he know?

"Do not worry Batman, I do not intend to tell others of your true self. But I do warn you; if push comes to shove I will reveal your secret. Operation Doomsday will go as planned, no matter what," Identity threatened, "Now get up and you will be escorted out of my facility."

Three Armageddon State guards stepped in and grabbed Christian by his arms and dragged him out of the room, throwing him into a dark chamber. He heard the door close behind him and the lights suddenly flashed on, blinding him for a moment.

"Mr. Wayne!" Eve cried happily, running over to him away from the other inmates, who began smiling hungrily at her.

"Eve, thank God you're alright," Christian sighed with relief as his secretary gave him a quick hug.

One of the prisoners stepped forward and laughed, "Oh, she ain't safe yet pal."

Christian glared at him and threatened, "Don't even try it punk."

All three prisoners started cracking up, "Oh no! Look at big bad Wayne, trying to protect his sexy little piece of ass!"

"C'mere baby, I'll show you a good time," one joked, moving towards the two threateningly.

Right as the prisoner reached out to grab Eve, Christian took a hold of his arm and twisted it violently, breaking it. He then pulled the man in closer and kneed him in the groin and yelled, "Try to get use out of that thing now!"

"Get him!" yelled the other two, charging towards him. Christian ducked under their attacks and rammed his shoulder into them, slamming them into the side of the elevator with surprising force. With a powerful kick, he took out both of them, leaving their unconscious bodies leaning on the side of the elevator.

"Stay close to me," Christian told Eve as they lurched to a stop. Eve nodded nervously and picked up one of the knives the three criminals had left on the floor.

When the doors slid open, a crowd of men, jeering and booing, greeted them. Eve stuck to him, brandishing the knife to try and ward off the predators.

"Don't show any sign of fear," Christian murmured, "Stand up straighter and keep walking."

Christian's first priority was to get Eve to safety. Once they had reached a place where she could hide, he had to figure out what he had heard from Identity. Operation Doomsday, what was that? It didn't sound good.

Eve took his advice and began her usual calm and collected pose. As the two strut forward, they noticed a couple prisoners closing in, looking menacingly at them. Christian clenched his fists, readying himself for another fight, when suddenly three arrows flew overhead and hit the offending prisoners, letting out a non-lethal shock.

A woman dropped down in front of them, holding a green bow. Her long hair was done up in a pony tail and she wore a green mask and suit.

"Mr. Wayne, Ms. Wesson, follow me," she yelled in a commanding tone of voice. The other criminals obviously didn't feel like getting electrocuted as well, so they simply backed away as the woman held her bow up threateningly.

"Who are you? Where are you taking us?" Christian asked, feigning as an innocent bystander.

"Names Artemis, and I'm taking you to the only remotely safe place in this god forsaken city," she answered as she lowered her bow.

They had gained a good amount of distance between themselves and the mob of psychopaths, and hopefully it would stay that way.

"I've been keeping track of your campaign," she told them as they began walking cautiously through the allies and streets of the Armageddon State, "and I'd like to say thanks for trying to stand up for us. I knew from the start that Lex probably had the whole thing rigged, but it was good to see someone looking out for the league."

Artemis continued to fend off menacing criminals as they walked towards their destination. Eve and Christian had no idea where they were going, but practically anywhere was better then where they were originally.

"The Flash told me to grab you before the prisoners could eat you alive. We've been hiding pretty successfully for days now, and I figure you should be safe with us."

Christian arched his brow curiously and asked, "Why is the Flash in hiding? Doesn't he have super powers?"

Artemis nodded and answered, "I'll let him explain that to you."

The group arrived at a small, rundown apartment on what looked like an abandon street. The archer with the golden blonde hair knocked on the door three times and murmured an inaudible phrase. The door swung open and let the three inside, then closed with a click behind them.

Artemis led them upstairs into a small room, where the Flash was sitting at a dim table, waiting for them. Christian noticed that his suit was ripped in multiple places and he had several fresh cuts. What was most noticeable though, was the large metal collar stuck around his neck. It looked like it was locked on tight, possibly some sort of tracing device.

"Hey Christian! Please have a seat," he told him, gesturing to the chair next to him. Christian sat down and nodded to Eve, who secretly began recording the conversation.

"I must say, it's an honor to meet you Flash," Christian greeted, holding out his hand

The Flash turned it down, "Don't give me that crap man, she already knows."

Christian sighed in frustration. He would have rather had his secret kept a secret.

"Wally, what is going on? Where are the others?"

"That's the problem, I have no clue. I was thrown in here with Arty over there, and I never saw the others."

Christian looked at him as if he was trying to mess with his head, "You have super speed. Just run around the whole district really quickly and find them."

Flash sighed in disappointment and then pointed to his collar, "See this thing? It was given to everyone with superpowers here. It suppresses my abilities, rendering my speed useless."

Christian took a closer look at it, but even he couldn't figure out how to remove it. It was Luthor tech, which was something he was not acquainted with. It was going to take someone who knew his or her way around the megalomaniac's technology.

"I can't get it off," Christian told him, "especially not without my equipment back in the cave."

The Flash nodded and said, "See, that's where you come in. You don't have any powers, so I was hoping that you might be able to help the situation."

Christian nodded, "Alright, I'll do it."

Eve ran over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. When Christian turned his head, Eve whispered in his ear, "Mr. Wayne, you don't have your suit or any of your gear with you. Don't you think investigating this would be quite impossible without it?"

Christian stood up and motioned for the three in the room to follow him. He walked them all up to the roof and looked up at the sky. It didn't look like they had any dome covering the top of the Armageddon State. Once he finished observing the sky, he clicked a button on his watch and then threw it near the center of the roof. Christian then stepped back, making sure everyone was clear of the middle.

After a couple of seconds, a large metal pod fell from the sky and landed in front of him. Christian approached it and typed in a password to open it up. Steam was released as the pod container slid to the side, revealing his bat suit and a small laptop. Christian grabbed the laptop and handed it to Eve.

"It's connected to the bat computer," he told her as he pulled the suit out of the pod, "It should allow us to access certain case files and programs from it."

Eve nodded and held the laptop under her arm, moving to the side so Christian could go downstairs and change.

"Wait," Atemis called, "what about the rest of us?"

"You are welcome to help me look," Christian answered.

Artemis nodded and stood with the others on the roof, waiting for the dark knight to join their cause.

**A/N: I hope you all liked it! This storyline, as you noticed, will be like the arkham city one. Don't worry though, there will be elements and plot twists that will deviate a lot from Arkham city as well.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Presenting, chapter two of my story! I hope you all enjoy it. Remember to review and if you really liked it, favorite it!**

** IsaacCLark: Yeah, characters are going to be a little difficult to handle, now with a much larger cast. I have a really nice story planned out though, so I hope you enjoy the ride!**

** anon: Wow, what a review! I'm flattered that you wrote that long of a review for my story. The points you make are really well thought out, and I will try to respond the best way I can. I'm guessing you really can see the Armageddon state from the side of its creators. If you think about how much damage heroes like Batman have done (property damage, blatantly disregarding the law, battery, and assault) it really isn't a surprise that the regular people are bound to retaliate. They don't want the personal vendettas of heroes and villains to hurt or alter society. In a way, though; isn't Armageddon state altering society? But doesn't a faulty society need to be altered? If so, then how? These are some of the questions that I intend to answer by the end of this story. I hope you continue to read!**

Chapter 2: Scattered

Batman knelt on the edge of a large clock tower, overlooking Armageddon State. He stared out into the dark streets, taking scans of the city schematics to help his search for the rest of the League. While he did so, Artemis sat with her head rested against her hand, practically dying with boredom.

"C'mon Batman, shouldn't we be out there looking for them?" she grumbled, plucking at her bowstring aimlessly.

Batman didn't even look at her, rather just responded, "Preparation is key in missions like these. I don't know what's out there and how powerful they are, but at least I will have the landscape as an advantage once I meet them."

Artemis sighed, "But we've been up here for hours, shouldn't we at least start?"

"Searching this whole facility would take months, and we don't have that kind of time. So the only thing to do is to deduce the most possible locations that they may be hiding."

"You really are big on researching before a job, aren't you?" she laughed, pulling an arrow out of her quiver and twirling it in her hands.

Batman didn't give her an answer, shutting her out and focusing solely on the mission. There wasn't any time to be distracted; they were too far behind. He had no idea what Identity was planning and where anyone was; he was essentially in the dark.

"Not gonna answer?" Artemis said, furrowing her eyebrows, "that's fine. I didn't expect you to. Let me give you a hint then so we can hurry this up."

This caught Batman's attention. "You had a lead and didn't tell me?"

Artemis stood up straight and crossed her arms, giving him an annoyed look; "Well you were so busy with standing heroically next to the light of the moon. I felt bad interrupting that."

Batman glared at her, slightly angered that she had wasted his time. Artemis simply rolled her eyes and told him, "The prisoners have been whispering about an underground tournament. The problem is, I have no idea where or when this is happening."

"Do you know whose sponsoring it?"

Artemis thought for a bit, and then answered, "yeah, I think the one I heard it from was wearing some kind of black and white outfit. All his friends were wearing that same type of outfit also."

"Osprey," growled Batman, clenching his fists angrily. Of course that egotistical, greed driven, sorry excuse for a man was behind a savage prison tournament.

"Osprey? You think he's behind it?"

"This is just his type of game," Batman explained, "He loves to flex his muscles and show how much power he has. In this case, he's showing everyone that he can force people into fighting for his amusement."

"Oh Gotham, how I've missed you," Artemis chuckled sarcastically

Batman had done little research on the blonde archer, but after one look he knew she was from Gotham. People who had lived in Gotham had a certain way about them, an aura of distrust and uneasiness that always followed them. In other cities, those types of feelings may have been frowned upon or seen as anti social. In Gotham, it was those instincts that kept you alive. Artemis' eyes were clouded, her true self-hidden under layers of sarcasm and anger. She almost reminded Batman of himself.

Batman turned off his scanner and looked up to the sky. He water run down his cowl onto his chin as a storm began to stir in Armageddon State. The air was becoming more humid as the storm progressed rapidly, almost as if it was chasing them off the high clocktower.

"So where do we start?" she asked him, stringing a rope arrow on her bow.

"We'll start by asking the locals. Do you know where Osprey has situated himself?"

"All the black and white goons go to this club down the road. We could check that place out," Artemis suggested.

Batman nodded and stood up straight. Spreading his cape, he took a deep breath and jumped off. It took a second or two for the cape to catch the air, but after a small jolt, he was gliding smoothly. The fringe of his black makeshift wings whipped in the wind as he flew over the city. Artemis followed soon after, using her rope arrow as a zip line.

As he flew over the masses, he cast a terrifying shadow over them. Prisoners, no matter how big or small, began yelling in fear and scattering. Batman used his visor to scan over the streets to find the club where Osprey was most likely residing.

As he glided, he called Eve over the communicator, "Oracle, I need you to create a list of all League members so we can keep track of who we've found and who we haven't."

"Sure thing Mr. Wayne, I'll…"

Flash's voice suddenly interrupted over the intercom, "Hello? Bats, you there?"

Batman groaned, "Flash, this line is reserved for Oracle and I only, you do not have permission to be on here."

"Sorry buddy, but the Justice League communicators are out of commission and this is the only way to keep in touch."

"Sorry for the interruption Mr. Wayne," Eve told him, sounding equally as annoyed, "as I said before, I'll get on it."

Batman suddenly spotted a club called the XXX Canary. It was a bird themed strip club, just the kind of 'classy' establishment that Osprey would run.

Straightening himself, he grabbed the tips of his cape and began a controlled decent towards the street. Artemis soon followed, repelling down the side of the strip club.

"Wow, I never would have thought to look here after his father's taste in style," Artemis said as the two walked towards the entrance.

"Samuel Cobblepot hates his father. He sees Penguin as shameful and hideous, and wants nothing to do with him. The one thing they share is their greed, their lust, and their insatiable taste for blood and crime," Batman told her.

The two approached the bouncer, who was preoccupied with smoking and checking some sort of list. Right as they were about to walk in, the man held his arm out and said, "Hold on bub, are you on the list?"

"Probably not," Batman answered

The man was still looking at the list, not even paying attention to whom he was talking. "Well then buddy, you aren't getting in, are you?"

Batman growled angrily, "Let us pass and I won't hurt you."

The bouncer chuckled and began to turn around, "Hah, as if you could hurt…"

He stopped and dropped the clipboard on the ground when he saw Artemis and a very pissed off Batman standing in front of him.

"You wanna try that again?" Artemis threatened, holding her bow up to his face.

The bouncer swallowed nervously and motioned towards the door. "Right this way."

The two entered the club, shoving past the assorted filth that inhabited the place. Batman was disgusted to see that people were being allowed to live like this. Left and right, different prisoners were getting mugged, stabbed, or both. There was no order, no law, only chaos. It was despicable.

"This place is disgusting," Artemis scoffed, eyeing the multiple dancers and drunkards angrily.

Batman didn't give a response, rather looked around the room for anyone who could be connected to Osprey. Unfortunately, he didn't see Osprey anywhere. Someone over at the bar caught his eye though. It was one of the thugs he had seen at the docks during one of Osprey's operations last week, talking it up with some poor woman.

Batman slowly approached him as prisoners began to stumble and run out of his way. The man didn't notice Batman until the dark knight was right next to him, so close that he could feel his angry breaths on the back of his neck.

"Hey, do you mi…" the man's eyes went wide in fear as he stammered, "B-batman? You're in here to?"

Batman grabbed him violently by the collar and held him up effortlessly. In a deep, threatening voice, Batman asked, "Where's Osprey?"

"Look man, I don't know. The boss don't talk to me, I'm just a muscle!"

Batman slammed his back against the wall with a crash, "That's not what I wanted to hear! Where is Osprey?"

"D-don't take it up with me man! I swear I don't know anything! His lieutenant, that's who you want! Please don't hurt me…"

Batman sneered angrily and threw the man across the bar, knocking over all the drinks on the table. Artemis stepped over the broken glass as she followed him, a little intimidated by his fury.

The two vigilantes pushed the criminals aside as they made their way to the back room, where whomever running the joint most likely resided. They finally came across a door that had a yellow star on it and was labeled 'manager'.

Artemis stopped in front of it, "So are we going to knock or…"

Suddenly from behind the door, they could hear a woman screaming for help. Artemis thought she recognized the voice, but wasn't able to think about it for a second before Batman kicked down the door.

Inside was a man who was just in his underwear holding a poor woman down. Batman hated nothing more then those who took advantage of the defenseless. This man was nothing but scum.

Batman grabbed the man by his neck and yanked him off the girl, throwing him into the side of the wall. Artemis went over to tend to the woman while Batman lunged at the lieutenant.

"You and I have not gotten off on the right foot," Batman snarled, pinning him to the ground.

"Batman! What do you want?" the man spat as he tried to struggle free from the dark knight's grip.

He cringed as Batman was about to bring his fist down on his gut, when suddenly Batman heard Artemis yell, "Batman! It was Wonder Woman!"

Batman turned his head and saw Cassie Sandsmark with the collar around her neck and heavy shackles around her hands and feet. She had bruises and cuts all over her; she looked in terrible shape.

The lieutenant wailed, "I'm sorry! Please, I'll tell you what you want to know!"

Batman grabbed him by the neck and pulled him to his feet. He then unleashed a powerful left hook to the crook's liver, causing him to double over in sheer pain.

"Where's Osprey?! Where is he hiding?"

"He's at the old stadium preparing for his tournament! See, I told you what you want, now you can let me go, right?"

Batman picked him up again and growled, "No."

Propping the man's arm up against a table, Batman slammed his elbow into it, breaking his arm almost instantaneously.

The lieutenant screamed in agony, holding his bicep as he lay on the ground.

Batman spat next to him, "You may want to see a doctor about that."

Artemis put her arm around Cassie as the three left the club. Batman could hear Cassie's silent whimpers. What had they done to her?

"Batman, what are we going to do?" Artemis asked

"We need to take Cassie back to Wally," he answered as they escorted the injured Wonder Woman through the streets, "and then we will find Osprey and make him squeal."

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Batman held Cassie in his arms as he walked up the stairs of the apartment, followed closely by Artemis. Wonder Woman was in need of immediate medical attention, and fast. Her powers were being suppressed, so her super healing did not take any affect.

Artemis ran over and opened the door for the two. Batman walked through, careful not to hit Cassie's head on the doorframe, and placed her on the dining room table. Eve quickly rose from the couch she was sitting on when she saw them, holding her hand over her mouth in disbelief.

"Eve, get the medical kit," Batman commanded as he cleared the table so they could better work on her wounds.

Eve nodded and ran into the other room. A toilet flushed and Wally walked out of the bathroom. When he saw Cassie injured on the table, he ran over and demanded, "What happened? Who did this to her?"

"Osprey's men," Batman answered as he pulled a couple pain pills from his belt and put them on the table top, "they brutalized her and practically enslaved her. She was probably jumped and overwhelmed without her powers, even with her training."

"Jesus…" muttered Flash

Eve came back with a first aid kit and placed it on the table. She cracked it open and pulled out stitches, bandages, and other necessary items. Batman lifted up Cassie's head and gave her some of pain medications before Eve began to go to work. The Flash turned away while Eve stitched her up, as he was a bit squeamish when it came to open wounds. Eve stayed silent and worked quickly, trying to clean and close the deeper cuts first, and then bandage up the smaller ones.

Cassandra began gaining consciousness as the procedure. Her eyes fluttered open and then quickly widened with fear.

"What happened…" she asked as she began to sit up.

Batman quickly restrained her before she opened up the stitches, "Lie down Cassie, we're trying to fix your wounds. If you just stay still, we will be done in a bit.

"Batman? What happened? How did they capture you?"

"They didn't," he answered, "They captured Christian Wayne."

"Wait, do they know who you are?'

"No, they captured Christian Wayne because he was opposed to Armageddon State," Batman half lied.

Cassie sighed with relief as Eve finished up her last stitch and rapped her last cut.

Eve backed up and pulled off her gloves, "There, you should be fine Ms. Sandsmark."

"Thank you so much Eve," Cassie said, sitting upright slowly and rubbing her head.

"Well I've developed quite the hands for these procedures ever since Mr. Wayne picked up his new hobby."

Wonder Woman smiled and stood up from the table. Artemis helped her over to the couch, where she sat down and began tugging at the collar.

"Cassandra, I need to know if you heard anything about the whereabouts."

Cassie sighed and put her hands on her temple. She tried to wrack her brain and remember what had happened before, but she been drugged and beaten for most of it.

"My memory's a little hazy. I-I was captured and kept by those bastards that follow the Osprey," she answered angrily

"What did they say they were going to do to you?" Batman asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"They said… unspeakable things. They told me after that, they were going to make me fight my other friends to the death… Oh God, Conner! Have you found him?"

Batman shook his head, "As of now, this is all we have. We have no idea where the rest are, but we now have confirmation that at least one will be at that tournament."

"You get some rest Cass, Batman and I will handle this for now," Artemis told her, patting Wonder Woman on the shoulder reassuringly.

Wonder Woman nodded, "Just make sure you find them before these bastards get to them. These collars take any advantage we have over the unruly masses. Even with our superior training, we can only take so many at once."

Wonder Woman lay sideways and fell asleep after a bit, trying to recover her energy just in case she needed to fight. Batman motioned for the group to follow him into a different room, where they began planning.

"The event is going to happen tomorrow night in the abandon stadium," Batman told them as he pulled up a holographic map of the area, "Osprey is definitely going to be there. Originally, the plan was to pull the others out, but now I'm going to take him down."

"So how are we supposed to take him down, there will be hundreds of his gang there," Artemis said

"Easy, we sneak up and grab him from behind."

"Mr. Wayne, it will be quite difficult to sneak up on him if he's out in the open."

"We'll find a way, for now we need to prepare. I'm going to be in the room across from here. Don't disturb me."

Batman walked out without saying a word with Eve close behind, leaving Artemis and Flash.

"You know, I think he's growing on me," Wally joked, putting his arm around the blonde archer.

"He's the same as the first," Artemis sighed, "just as angry and just as broken."

"Don't worry about him babe. He's been gone for a long time."

Artemis sat down and pulled some whiskey from out of their cabinet, popping the top and taking a swig. She offered it to Flash, who politely declined.

"I don't think it's a good idea to drink right now," he told her, "I mean, we need to be at our top condition if we're going to make this plan work."

Artemis laughed bitterly, "What plan? You saw Cassie! Who's to say the same hasn't happened to everyone. This place is hell, we fight for justice and we get sent to hell."

Flash pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered in her ear, "We'll find a way to escape, I promise. We will expose this horrible place, especially after what it's done to us."

"I just hope we can," she whimpered.

Artemis always put on a strong front, but she knew inside that she was scared. She had always sworn to herself that she would never get locked up, especially after what happened to her mother. Yet, here she was in a maximum-security facility where they had been left to die. It was a cruel irony. Her friends were lost and might never be found.

Meanwhile, Batman was in the other room designing a strategy. Eve stood silently beside him. Batman felt stress that he almost never felt. The lives of the people who were the closest to a family that he had were in danger. The only other time he had felt this way was when the Joker first appeared and captured part of the team, the ones that meant the most to him. The ones he had delivered right into that psychopath's hands.

Now, Identity new his secret and he knew nothing about the man other then an unrecognizable face. He remembered at one point, Identity had told him a story about a young politician who had everything taken away from him. Why was he doing this? What was the league he spoke of?

The most horrible thing of all is that he had put Eve in danger, an innocent person.

"Mr. Wayne, are you alright?" Eve asked softly

Batman clenched his fists angrily and turned towards her. "I'm sorry Eve. It's my fault you got involved. I put you in direct danger because of my actions."

Eve shook her head and told him, "I'm the Oracle remember? It's not like I wasn't involved. Mr. Wayne, I made my choice to stand with you in your fight because I think it's right. I expected some danger along the way, but I also expect it to be worth it."

It was Eve's expected reaction. He knew she believed in his cause just as much as he did, and would put her life on the line for others. Eve was a rare and noble character.

"So Mr. Wayne, what's the plan?"

Batman pulled out a large piece of paper and a marker Kara had once jokingly named 'the bat marker'. He drew a rough sketch of the stadium and then turned to her.

"We need to create a large enough distraction in the middle so we can pull Samuel Cobblepot off to the side. I still haven't thought up of what that distraction might be."

"So are you going to extract Cobblepot?"

Batman shook his head, and answered, "It's my plan. I'll create the distraction while Artemis grabs him. I won't let anyone but me get in danger for a plan like this."

"Of course," Eve sighed, as she copied the plan down on a sheet of paper and clipped it to her board, "would you like to present it to the team or shall I have the honor?"

"Do whatever you wish. For now, I'd like some time alone."

Eve nodded obediently and left Batman in his dark room. Right when the door closed behind her, he flipped the table over in anger. Slamming his foot down, he broke it in half, yelling angrily. He looked down at the mess he had made as he breathed heavily, his chest moving up and down.

"I was stupid," he muttered to himself, "I was stupid and careless. I walked right into Luthor's trap…"

**A/N: I hope you all liked the chapter! Remember to leave a review or a favorite!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I was on spring break and didn't really have time to get to the computer. Here's the third chapter though, I hope you all enjoy! Remember to leave a review and please favorite if you really liked it!**

** Guest: Yeah, life isn't easy when you're Batman. Then again, it was his choice.**

** Isaac Clark: It's cool dude, I haven't really been checking up on this story for the past week. Sorry for being so late with this next chapter! **

Chapter Three: Barbaric Games

Kara Zor-el gasped for air as she lay on the cold stone floor. Her head felt as if it was splitting open, it was a kind of pain she wasn't very used to. She could feel multiple bruises running down her body where she had been abused and beaten by her cruel captors. The air was damp in the small closet she had been kept in for days. Ever since her powers had been suppressed, she and the one other person she was with were at the mercy of the animals in Armageddon State.

"Kara, are you all right," a concerned voice called from the darkness.

"I'm fine," she coughed, spitting out a bit of blood, "it wasn't as bad as most days."

Green Lantern limped out from the dark corner of the closet and walked over to her, bringing some smuggled bandages and medicine.

"I got these from some of the thugs. They should help with your wounds," he told her as he wrapped her arm with a bandage.

Kara managed a weak smile and told him, "Thank you…"

Lawrence nodded and sat down next to her. His hand was broken along with his spirit. The warden had taken his ring, leaving him powerless as well. Unfortunately, he did not have the hand-to-hand combat training that some of the others had, making him an instant victim.

The two sat breathing heavily, trying to regain their strength. Both had been beaten and humiliated, but they had not yet lost their pride. It was the one thing those bastards couldn't take.

"How long do you think we can take this," Lawrence asked, as he pulled out a piece of bread he had hidden and gave part to Kara.

She took a bite and answered, "They'll come for us. We will get through this."

Lawrence chuckled, "Sweetheart, you sure are an optimist."

"Well I'm around so many downers, somebody's got to keep spirits up."

Deep down, Kara was beginning to have doubts, though. The convicts had kept them prisoner for a week now. It was hard to look at the bright side when there wasn't one. She wouldn't break though. She would stay strong.

"What, no way!"

They heard one of thugs talking to another outside of their door. Kara moved closer to the door to try and hear what they were talking about, since her super hearing wasn't an option.

"Yeah man, the boss is flipping out about it. He's actually in this hell hole."

One of the thugs began rambling in a worried tone of voice, "Well he's got one of those collar thingies on right? If he don't got no powers, then he ain't a problem!"

"Are you that stupid Mick? Batman don't got any powers! Can't take away what he don't got."

Kara's eyes went wide; her breath went short. Batman was in Armageddon State? She continued to listen, hoping to find more information.

"So what, is he just going around cracking heads," one, who she assumed to be Mick, asked

"Yeah," the un named one answered, "He just busted one of our strip joints yesterday night, took that Wonder Woman chick. Damn shame too, I never got to see that little number dance."

"Yeah, I just hope we don't see the freak. Last time I ran into the Bat, he broke my arm and three of my ribs. I was in the hospital for days man."

Kara backed away from the door. Batman was coming for them, and thank god for that. She knew that hell hath no fury like an angry Batman, and if he found the condition Cassie was in, he was probably already pissed.

"Well, what was that all about," Lawrence asked as he chewed on his bread

Kara smiled happily, "Batman's in the prison GL. He somehow got his gear past security and already freed Wonder Woman."

The news made Lawrence sit up straighter. He chuckled, "Damn, Bats got all his shit in? He's a sneaky bastard, isn't he?"

Kara laughed with a bit of difficulty, "I just hope he makes it on time. I don't know how much longer Osprey will keep us around with Batman here."

The door of their makeshift prison was suddenly flung open and in walked Osprey himself, along with four other thugs. Both Lawrence and Kara shot him angry glares, not giving him the pleasure of seeing them scared and week. Osprey glared back and sneered, "Grab 'em"

"What the hell did we do?" Kara demanded as two thugs grabbed her violently by the arms.

Cobblepot took a drag from his cigar and then blew the smoke out in her face. "The Bat is here, which means he's probably coming after both of you. Especially you luv."

Kara laughed, giving him a cocky look, "What makes you think he'll come for me first?"

"Oh c'mon, everyone knows you and him got something going on. He'd give his heart for you."

This made Kara laugh even more, much to Osprey's distress, "Hah! Have you met the guy? He doesn't have a heart!"

"That's not what I heard from Joker," Cobblepot growled, giving her a swift kick to the gut.

Kara gasped for air, as he continued to kick her in the stomach. Lawrence fought against his captors, but was to starved and weak to do so.

"Don't ever talk back to me bitch," Osprey yelled, "know your place!"

Kara just continued laughed sadistically, "He's outsmarted you and beaten you before, what makes you think this is any different?"

Osprey spat in her face and then waved for his goons to drag them behind him. The thugs pulled them on the floor after Cobblepot; making sure they 'accidently' hit as many walls as they could.

Kara feel the man dragging her shaking inside his thick black and white coat. She smiled to herself, if only she had her powers. She would have thrashed these bastards.

"Where are you taking us," Lawrence asked

"You're gonna start with our entertainment right now," Cobblepot answered with an evil grin.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come now, why would I keep you alive if I didn't have some other purpose laid out for you already? You two are going to be our gladiators."

Kara had never been afraid of a fight, but she was slightly worried about this one. She was hungry, out of energy, injured, and in no condition to fight. Also, she did not have the raw skill that some of the other fighters had. While she could easily take down eight, nine, or even ten thugs out at once, fighting a force the size of the one that had grabbed her would be impossible.

Osprey had sent out about forty people to grab her along with GL. Knowing Cobblepot, he probably would make the odds just as fair in his tournament. It was disgusting.

"How am I supposed to fight like this," Kara asked Samuel, trying to buy time while she thought of a plan.

"It's either that or be my personal slave," he told her, "you are very welcome to choose the latter."

That shut Kara up. No matter what, she was not going to be… whatever he had in mind. Hearing Cobblepot's threat made Lawrence, the way he licked his lips when he said slave made GL want to punch the bastard's teeth down his throat.

"A shame, you do have an impressive shape," Osprey laughed, taking another breath of smoke.

Kara gritted her teeth angrily, wishing that the stupid collar might short out. While their incarceration and punishment may have seemed equal to that of the criminals, the collars tipped the odds in the scums' favor. Of course, the collars were Luthor's idea, to keep the heroes to take their 'unjust fury' out on the 'powerless'. Now not only were they outnumbered, but they were outgunned.

"I want the blonde when she gets offed," one of the thugs cackled, nudging the guy next to him like it was some joke. The group suddenly all stopped and stared at him.

"What?" he asked

"That's messed up man," the thug next to him answered, glaring at his comrade.

"Terrance," the penguin told the thug holding Green Lantern, "Kill Mick."

"Gladly," the thug said, raising his gun, "Sorry bud, but Mr. Cobblepot don't like weird shit like that."

Before the other thug could protest, his head was blown straight off his neck by a point blank shot. Osprey nodded and the thug grabbed Kara by the wrist and dragged her next to Green Lantern.

Osprey continued checking his watch, as if he was late to an event. Hopefully, it wasn't the spectacular demise he had planned for them, a fight to the death.

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Batman and Artemis hid in the shadows at the top of the stands, looking down onto the field. A crowd was gathering around them, cheering and already getting drunk. Whores were making their rounds as criminals continued to file in each row. Artemis pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked out into the mass of prisoners. She looked for Osprey, who would obviously be seated in the best spot, most likely one of the boxes.

Batman leaned against the metal rods that held up the huge floodlights, scanning all the prisoners. As far as he could see, only a few were carrying firearms. Cobblepot had probably confiscated most upon entry to keep himself and his operation safe. Batman could almost feel the excitement in the air, the unadulterated blood lust that filled the stands. He clenched his fists tightly, keeping himself calm and level headed.

"You remember the plan?"

Artemis nodded, "You create a distraction and help them escape while I nab Cobblepot."

Batman was glad she was paying attention, and also glad she was fighting with him. Artemis was one of the most skilled fighters he had seen in his life. Her hand-to-hand combat prowess was incredible, as well as her uncanny aim of course. She was almost as good as he was, almost. He was also glad she had ditched her normal suit at the apartment and exchanged it for a black and dark green one. Bright green was not very stealthy, and would have gotten them caught on multiple occasions.

"So what are we doing now?" she asked him, leaning on one of the horizontal rods.

"Waiting for the main event," Batman answered

"What main…"

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Cobblepot yelled from his seat, grabbing the attention of everyone in the arena, "Have I got a show for you tonight! Two of our most hated enemies in a fight to the death! Toy Man, Frost, bring out the contestants!"

The small plastic man and the icy blue woman dragged out Superwoman and Green Lantern as the crowd booed loudly.

"Ain't so scary without powers, are ya!" a prisoner called from the sidelines, receiving cheers and amens from the crowd.

Batman glared when he saw Kara, who was bruised and bloodied. Lawrence didn't look like he was holding up too well either. It seemed as if the prisoners had taken some sort of sick poetic revenge and broken some of his fingers. Both needed medical attention immediately.

"Batman, are you alright?" Artemis asked, noticing Batman's heavier breaths

"I'm fine," Batman snarled, "Just be ready for a fight."

The two heroes were pushed at each other as the armed thugs pointed their guns and screamed, "FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!"

"Alright Kara, I need you to take me out," Lawrence coughed, trying to raise his broken arms.

Kara shook her head adamantly, "I'd rather die then take another life."

Batman grew more and more angry as he watched Osprey lean back in his seat and light another cigar. There was nothing he wanted more than to punch the bird's face in.

Before the two could attack each other, a loud whistle caught the attention of the whole stadium. Batman and Artemis looked over to the opposite side of the stands, where a woman in a white stealth suit stood holding a bazooka.

"Not now," Batman growled, "Artemis, go for Cobblepot right now."

"But he's still guarded," Artemis protested

"I said now!"

Artemis nodded obediently and jumped down off her perch. She snuck off into the shadows while Batman watched the situation unfold.

Siren waved over to Osprey and blew him a kiss, "Oh Sammy! I think you have something that doesn't belong to you!"

Osprey stood from his seat, his eyes wide with fear. "Bloody Hell…"

"Say cheese Sammy!" Siren aimed the bazooka towards the box, much to Cobblepot's distress.

Osprey began sprinting towards the exit frantically, causing Siren to laugh. "Wow, he really can move when he wants to," she joked, pulling the trigger of the launcher.

A rocket burst from the bazooka and shot straight towards the box office with deadly accuracy. The crowd screamed as the whole thing erupted into flames, smoke billowing out from the broken glass. Some of the prisoners pulled out weapons and began to shoot at the white assassin.

Siren tossed the launcher aside and jumped off the top of the stands, gliding down to the middle of the arena with a pair of razor sharp glider wings. She landed in front of the two heroes and pulled out her duel pistols, firing them into the crowd.

Batman decided to try and grab Kara and Lawrence before the situation got even more out of control. Jumping down, he spread his cape and descended down upon the group of armed men like an angry demon.

With one powerful kick, he took out one of Osprey's thugs, knocking him to the ground. He dodged the butt of another's gun and landed a left hook into his gut, causing the criminal to double over in pain.

"Batman!" Kara called, stumbling over towards him

Batman didn't acknowledge her, as he was focusing on fighting off hoards of angry prisoners. Right before the explosion, he had seen Artemis grab Cobblepot, now all that was left was securing the two members of the league.

Batman was about to deliver a jaw breaking punch to a large inmate, when blood suddenly exploded from his forehead. Batman turned to the sound of the gunshot instinctively, and found that Siren herself fired the weapon.

Giving him a wink and a seductive smile, she said, "About time you showed up handsome. I was beginning to think that you hadn't really been thrown in here with the others."

Siren was about to fire off another shot, when Batman lunged over and knocked the gun out of her hands. "What the hell?" she sneered, glaring towards him.

"No guns, no killing," he told her sternly, giving her a stone cold glare

Siren shrugged and dropped the other pistol, then raised her fists. "We do this the old fashion way then."

Batman turned to Green Lantern and Superwoman and commanded, "GL, get Superwoman out of here. Artemis will be waiting outside, but hurry!"

Green Lantern nodded and motioned for Kara to follow him. The two ran out towards the exit as the prisoners began to surround both Siren and Batman.

"Still feeling good about our odds without a gun?" Siren teased as they went back to back

"Guns are loud and clumsy," Batman answered, raising his fists

The inmates hollered and charged towards the two, the whole mass of criminals closing in. Batman and Siren went to work, using their superior fighting skills and gear to lay a beating on their attackers. The two worked in perfect synchrony, as if the fight was a dance. Batman would deliver a low punch to the stomach, while Siren would jump over and give a spin kick to the same criminal. Batman would grab a convict by the arm and throw him at Siren, who would jump over him and stomp the criminal to the ground.

They continued to punch, kick, and break every inmate that dared charge them. They were an unstoppable force. Batman hated to admit it, but he got a certain adrenaline rush when fighting alongside Siren. She was one of the best-trained fighters he had ever seen, but that wasn't even what was incredible about her. What was incredible was that her moves were so much like his. Sure, she was faster where he was more powerful, but they still practically had the same moves. It was as if she learned from whoever taught his father how to fight.

Batman continued to work each criminal, making sure none left without at least a broken rib and a terrible limp. He viciously punched anyone that came within his reach, and countered every attack they threw at him. Siren was surprisingly following his no killing rule, not even breaking a single neck or firing a single shot.

"This is a fun first date," Siren laughed as she punched a convict in the ribs, causing a bloodcurdling crack.

"This isn't a date," Batman growled as he kneed an inmate in the groin and stomped on his hand once the man was down.

"Well you haven't tried to punch my teeth down my throat, so I'll take that as a start."

Batman didn't know what it was, but something about her got to him. Criminals trying to instigate banter usually didn't faze him, but Siren had a way of provoking him.

The inmates began to peel off as their comrades were all knocked out and beaten up by the assassin and the vigilante. Siren chuckled as the last criminals began to retreat. She was about to turn back to Batman, when she felt cold metal click around her wrists. She looked behind her and saw the dark knight had handcuffed her hands together.

"Really?" she asked him, giving him an annoyed look.

"You're still a criminal and you're still dangerous. I'm taking you in."

Siren sighed, "If you haven't noticed already Bats, I'm already 'taken in'."

Batman opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but then shut it. She did have a point, not much could be worse then this hellhole.

"Besides, that bastard has something of mine, and I intend to get it back," Siren told him as she quickly picked the handcuffs and dropped them on the ground in front of him.

Batman made no attempt to recapture her, but rather asked her, "Why are you doing this? I've seen your file, you only attack and steal from criminals. Why stoop as low as them?"

Siren glared at him, he had obviously hit a raw nerve. "Because, they deserve nothing better then the harm they cause others. Gotham is sick, and you aren't willing to do what's necessary. Sometimes, when a sick limb isn't salvageable, you have to amputate it to save the rest of the body. You have the power and means to be a great hero, yet you choose to be lenient on the scum of the city."

Batman returned her angry look when he heard this. He did NOT like people calling Gotham a lost cause. He knew that eventually, all his work would pay off, that he would make a difference. That's what he hoped at least.

Siren picked her guns off the ground and began to walk away, waving to Batman as she left. "Well it was fun handsome, but I've got things to do. Sammy still has something of mine and I intend to get it back."

With those last words, she vanished in thin air, her movements undetectable because of the stealth suit. Batman shook his head in frustration and then left the stadium making sure to step on as many unconscious convicts as he could.

Artemis, Green Lantern, Superwoman were all standing around Osprey, waiting for Batman. When he arrived, he quickly grabbed Osprey by the collar and slammed him against the run down ticket booth. Osprey cringed in pain as Batman wrenched his arm up at a painful angle and growled, "What did you take from her?"

"I don't know what you're… AGH!" Osprey screamed as Batman pulled his arm up even higher, slowly dislocating his shoulder.

"Tell me!"

"Alright, alright," Osprey cried, "That bitch has been messing with my operations for too long, so I decided to return the favor! I stole this device from her!"

The weakened crime boss pulled out what looked like a smart phone from his jacket and handed it to Batman. The dark knight grabbed it out of his hands and dropped Osprey on the ground, turning his attention towards the phone. When he tried to open it, he found there was an encrypted lock on it, set to destroy the phone after three failed attempts to get in. Whatever was on this thing, Siren didn't want anyone knowing it.

"Artemis, get Cobblepot out of my sight," Batman commanded, putting the phone in his pocket.

Artemis nodded and grabbed Osprey by the hem of his shirt and threw him in the middle of the street, where he lay writhing in pain.

"Who was that?" Kara asked as Batman picked her up in his arms

"She calls herself Siren. She's a professional thief as well as assassin, and one of the best fighters I've ever seen in my life," Batman answered

Artemis let Green Lantern lean on her as they all walked back to the safe house. Batman was trying to run the possible connections that Siren could have to Armageddon State in his head. Her suit was Lex corp, but she had told him that she stole it. She could have been lying, but it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for Siren to steal from a powerful and corrupt man like Lex.

Batman shivered a bit when he felt Kara bury her head in his chest and fall asleep. There was the only other woman who could make him feel as uncomfortable as Siren did, except in a different way. He and Kara had history, the two had dated through college and had a stressed 'on off' relationship ever since he became Batman. He heard Artemis chuckle to herself, much to his annoyance. She had obviously heard everything from Wally, that traitor.

0000000000000000000000000000 0

"Kara, wake up,"

Kara's eyes fluttered open as she sat up from the couch she was lying on. She felt light headed and dizzy, but overall better then she had felt before. Wally West was sitting down next to her with a wide grin.

"Wally, what happened," she muttered, massaging her temples to try and assuage her pain.

"Well, there was a bunch of fighting, explosions, and running, but bottom line is that you and GL are safe."

Kara sighed in relief, at least she was out of the hands of those monsters. She felt her neck and found the metal collar was still around her neck, and still wouldn't budge.

"Has he found a way to get these things off yet?" she asked, pointing to the inhibitor

Wally shook his head, "Apparently these things will be stuck on us until we get our hands on the unlock codes. After that, we're outta here."

"Where are the others? We still don't have Superman and Miss Martian."

"We haven't found them yet," Wally told her, "Have you heard anything?"

Kara shook her head, "They didn't tell us anything. We were locked in the closet the whole time."

"Well you're safe now. Here, eat up," Wally said, handing her some rations that had been dropped recently.

Kara gladly took a couple loaves of bread and ate them, feeling some of her energy coming back to her. As the two ate, Artemis walked in the room and sat down next to Superwoman, pulling off her cowl and sighing in frustration.

"What's wrong babe?" Wally asked, his mouth still full of food

Artemis glared at him angrily; he knew that she hated that nickname. "Well Wally, the Bat is almost as impossible to work with. The guy acts like he doesn't even want our help!"

Kara laughed lightly, "That sounds like him. It's all right; you can let him brood alone. Come hang out with us."

"Alright, Wally toss me some bread," she told the scarlet speedster as she put her bow down on the table in front of her.

Wally tossed her some bread and then sat down on one of the disgusting armchairs. The three sat around the table and ate silently, resting for any future battles. Kara occasionally glanced over to Batman's room and wondered what he was doing. He definitely wasn't relaxing, and probably wasn't eating either. Eve was taking a nap in her bedroom, so there was no one to force him to take breaks.

"So blue eyes, how'd you and GL end up in the hands of Cobblepot," Flash asked.

Kara heard Flash's nickname for her and turned back towards him.

"Oh, well GL and I were released into the same district," She answered, thinking back to their first coupled days in Armageddon State, "They had strapped the collars to us from the start, so it took a little bit for us to get oriented without powers. As we tried to find the rest of the league, we were ambushed by a couple of Osprey's thugs. We disposed of them pretty easily, but as more kept coming, we started to loose. Eventually they had overpowered us and captured us."

"Yeah, Artemis and I got lucky. If she hadn't smuggled her compact bow in, we would have been screwed," he told her, winking towards Artemis, who rolled her eyes.

"You should have seen their faces when Artemis pulled the thing out," Wally laughed, "Oh it was priceless! Prisoners running left and right, their tales tucked under."

Artemis continued their story, "After we fended off the criminals, Wally and I searched our district for a place to stay. Eventually, Wally found this piece of crap and we've been staying here ever since."

Kara nodded, at least their experience had gone much better then hers, but how had Batman smuggled his equipment in? From what she heard, he was captured as Christian Wayne. It wasn't that she was surprised; Batman always had some sort of trick up his sleeve. This wasn't even one of the most impressive things he's been able to pull.

"What is he doing in there," Wally asked Artemis, gesturing over towards Batman's room.

"Oh, Osprey had some sort of device that he had apparently had stolen from Siren. I think he's trying to break into it," she answered, taking a sip from one of the bottled waters.

Kara frowned, "What does Siren have to do with anything?"

"Well she did steal an extremely expensive stealth suit from Lex Corp. He thinks that she may be linked to Luthor in some way."

"That suit wasn't the only nice thing about her," Wally murmured dreamily.

Artemis socked him in the jaw for the comment and turned back to Kara, rubbing her fists, "As I was saying, he doesn't think she actually stole the suit. Batman thinks Luthor gave it to her."

"Why would he give her such high tech equipment," Kara wondered aloud

Artemis shrugged, "You'd know chrome dome better then I."

"That's Batman for ya," Wally joked, standing up shakily, "Always thinks theirs some big conspiracy behind everything."

"That's because there almost always is."

Everyone looked around and saw Batman standing at the doorway with the phone gripped tightly in his hand. He grabbed a wooden chair and pulled it towards the group. He then threw the device on the table, letting everyone get a good look at it.

"We need M'gann," he told them

"Aside from the obvious reasons, how come?" Artemis asked

"I can't crack this code. I need M'gann to read Siren's mind and pull it out of her."

"None of us know where she is though," Kara said

"That's what reconnaissance was made for," Batman told her, pulling out different recording devices and binoculars out of his belt, "We are going to split up, each of us covering a different district and reigning criminal. When one of us finds either Superman or Miss M, we contact the others."

Wally laughed, earning him a bat glare. "Hold on Bats, I think you're forgetting something. None of us have powers!"

"I know, that's why I made these," Batman growled, pulling out two strange devices and placing them on the table next to the phone. Both Kara and Wally picked up the strange devices, eying them suspiciously.

"What are these," Wally asked

"They're devices I've created to help with those collars. They should allow at least one of your powers to manifest. Flash, this should give you back your super speed and Superwoman should be able to retain one of her abilities."

Kara placed the device on her collar and felt a strange electrical tingle shoot through her body. She stood from the couch and asked Batman, "So, how do I choose which power I want?"

"You can't" he answered, "We just have to hope it's a useful one. I also have no idea which one you have right now."

Kara nodded and moved over to the couch, which she then lifted as if it was nothing. She held it up by its corner effortlessly, smiling happily, "I should be fine for now."

Wally zipped around the room at super speed and then screeched to a stop in front of Batman. "So Bats, who are we going after?"

Batman pulled a map out of his belt and spread it on the table. It was a map of all Armageddon State. He had sectioned off different parts of the massive prison state, dividing it into five parts. "The various gangs have secured different sections of Armageddon State," he told them as he pointed towards the map, "But there are five main factions we need to cover. The crime lords holding the most ground in Armageddon State are Osprey, King, Moxie 'Boss' Mannheim, March Hare, and the Joker."

Kara saw Batman's fists clenched noticeably when he mentioned that last name. She already knew how this would be split up. She would go after Intergang, Flash would go after the now massive Royal Flush Game, and, of course, Batman would go after the clown. He and the Joker had some sort of personal war, something that Batman would not let them be a part of. Every time the Joker showed up, no matter what, it was just the clown and the bat.

**A/N: Well I hope you all enjoyed, remember to leave a review or a favorite! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. Please favorite or review!**

** anon: Yeah, Batman is pretty manipulative, but he isn't an anarchist. I think he's just the opposite, the embodiment of order. It's just a different type of order that he fights for. He doesn't discriminate between people of different status or powers, if you do wrong he comes after you.**

** IsaacClark: It will be Batman vs the Joker, but someone else will be thrown into the mix...**

Chapter Four: Enter the Clown

"Ahem," Harley said, clearing her throat. The ex FBI agent stood in front of several hostages taken from different gangs across Armageddon State. Each hostage had a sac over his or her head and had their hands bound behind their backs. Armed thugs stood behind them, making sure none of them could escape.

Harley pulled out an obnoxiously large pistol out and began to sing as she pulled the first hostage's bag off their head, "Seems like everyone's got a price, I wonder how they sleep at night…"

She put the gun up to the man from Osprey's gang and pulled the trigger, causing his head to explode in a spectacle in a blood and gore. "When the sale comes first…"

The next two hostages were unveiled, one a five of diamonds from the Royal Flush Gang, and the other an Intergang member. "And the truth comes second,"

She shot the five first and then pressed the pistol to the shivering Intergang member. "Just stop for a minute and smile!"

She pulled the trigger and caused another bloody explosion, giggling a little bit when the warm liquid splashed back and hit her.

"It's not about the money, money, money," she sang cheerfully as she cart wheeled over to the forth hostage and pulled off the sac. The tied up man was one of the rabbits from March Hare's gang. The man in the rabbit mask cringed as he felt the barrel of the gun touch his head lightly.

"We don't want your money, money, money!"

The rabbit's head was instantly destroyed, remnants of skull and grey matter splattering all over the floor.

Finally, Harley unveiled the final hostage, who wasn't from any of their rival gangs. He had armored pads and other ninja like utilities, and he was struggling to get free.

Harley smiled and bent down to get eye level with her next victim. "We just wanna make the world burn, forget about the price tag!"

The ninja sneered at her, "We give you the means to fight, and this is how you repay us? My death will not go unpunished!"

"Yeah, yeah," Harley mocked, mimicking him by opening and closing her hand, "We ain't afraid of you bozos!"

"You should be very afraid of us," the ninja threatened as he continued to try and struggle free.

This made Harley laugh even harder, "I guess we've learned something here then? Don't make deals with crazy people!"

She pulled the trigger and shot the ninja's head off. His decapitated body crumpled to the ground as Harley wiped the blood off the front of her pistol. She did love her job so much.

"Harley, have you shown our guests out!"

Harley squealed happily and turned towards the pale menace in a purple suit. She ran over to him and gave the Joker a big kiss on the cheek, to which he chuckled lightly.

"Oh you little minx," Joker laughed as he looked at the blood stained floor, "you're learning!"

"I was taught by the best Mistah J."

Joker smiled, it was true, and he should take all the credit for it. He inhaled and took in the smell of death and destruction. He loved this place! It was completely and utterly out of control, unsupervised, and unprofessional! The one thing that kept Armageddon State from being heaven on earth was that his best pal wasn't around to enjoy it with him.

"Harley, go grab some more hostages and begin hanging them on our boarders," Joker barked, no in a sour mood because of his absent nemesis.

"Yessir!" Harley chirped, waving for a couple armed men to follow her.

Joker went back to his armchair and sat down, looking out his large window over his domain. Those jokes that called themselves criminals were no fun, too easy to mess with. It wasn't the same as…

"Boss!"

Joker looked over his shoulder lazily and saw one of his henchmen with multiple large bruises and cuts.

"What's wrong sonny boy? Besides the broken limbs of course," Joker asked, giggling a bit to himself because of that last comment.

"Osprey's operation just took a major hit Mr. Joker," the man reported anxiously

This caught the Joker's attention. Osprey and Joker had been waging war on each other for days now and it was nice to hear that he had suffered some terrible misfortune. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that his henchman still looked nervous, as if he was going to burst.

"What are you upset about boy? It better not be pity for poor little Sammy!"

The thug quickly shook his head, "No, I'm glad those ass hats are dead. It's just… it's just that the guy who took em down, it was the bat!"

"WHAT?!" Joker yelled excitedly, "Old Bat brain's in here! Heeheheehehehehehee! This place just became the best prison ever! Oooh, he's probably coming right now! I better prepare, we don't want to greet a guest as high esteemed as him without the proper decorations!"

"I'll begin planting the mines and capturing more hostages right away sir," the thug said, giving the clown a salute.

"Ooh, yes! Brew up a little titan while you're at it too, I know Bats loves that stuff! HAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAAAA!"

The Joker began making sure he had everything he needed in the case of a Batman encounter. Toy gun? Check. Real gun? Check. Joker gas made with love? Check. Communicator stolen from ninja? Check. Oh how he loved his job. This was going to be a riot!

He pulled out a red and blue walkie-talkie and called, "Haaaarleeyyyyy!"

Harley's bubbly voice replied through the radio, "Yes dear?"

"Do you mind being a doll and brining a couple of those hostages up to me? The ones that look like they came out of a bad animae!"

"Sure thing sweetie!"

Joker hung up the device and skipped back over to the body of the dead ninja. He bent down and searched the body, muttering to himself, "Now what makes you so special?"

Finally, he came across a strange pendant, one that looked like an owl head. The clown held it up to the light and examined it, using his borderline genius mind to try and figure out what it was. Could it be a funny hat, a police badge, or the mark of a secret organization?

"Owls," Joker scoffed, "whoever made these has no taste in style."

He tucked the pin in his pocket as Harley skipped into his office, dragging two ninjas with owl masks along with her.

"Alright Harley, what do we have here," Joker asked, pulling out his knife

Harley pulled out a clipboard and recited, "Here we have the teenage mutant ninja owls, Dr. J. They seem to be completely psychotic, and are in need of immediate surgery!"

Joker smiled widely, "Hmmm, you're right, these two aren't looking too good. Don't they know that we already have a nocturnal flying pest already?"

"You will rue the day you double crossed us Joker! The shadows will forever hunt you down!"

Joker laughed, "HAHAAAHAAHAAHAAAHAAA! Do I look worried? If old paps tricked your little club once, then I can do it too! Harley, will you bring out the hammer please?"

Harley walked out of the room, leaving Joker smiling sadistically at the two owls. The hostages continued to struggle, but their hidden weapons had been taken away.

"Don't bother. If I can hold Bats for ten minutes I can hold you two for three years," Joker jeered, kicking them in the face with his high-class loafers.

Harley walked back in the room after a couple of seconds, dragging an obnoxiously large hammer. She put the handle in the Joker's hand and then backed up, giddy with anticipation. The Joker heaved the thing up, stumbling backwards a bit for comedic purposes, and then slammed the mallet down. The hammer crushed the first owl's head instantly, causing it to burst like an over ripe watermelon.

"Just call me Gallagher! **_HAAAHAHAHAAAAHAAAA!_**" Joker laughed, teeing up for his next swing

"Woohoo! Go Mistah J!" Harley called as Joker readied himself for another swing.

Right as he was about to drive the head of the mallet into the owl's head, a bullet hit the hammer, causing it to fly out of his hands.

"Hey, what gives?" Joker growled, someone was going to die for this.

"Let the bundle of feathers go clown," a woman's voice demanded, "Or I put the next one in your lap!"

"Who's there," Joker demanded, pulling out a switchblade as Harley pulled out a sawed off shotgun.

Siren appeared in front of them, holding a .45 caliber pistol in each hand, glaring at the clown and his wench. "Let the man go."

Joker cackled, much to Siren's surprise, doubling over as he laughed, "You're out of your league kid! Messing with ol' Sammy is one thing, but you must be as crazy as I am to think I'll stand for it!"

"Siren," the owl called, "put that pathetic sac of filth out of its misery!"

"As much as I'd like that," Siren answered, keeping her guns trained on Joker, "we need the clown alive for now."

"Awww, you guys like me already?" Joker mocked, making kissy faces at the two.

"Shut up," Siren sneered, tensing up around the trigger menacingly.

"Look sweetheart, I don't know what my beef is with you, but I'll cut you a deal," Joker told her as he reached into his pocket.

Siren took a shot near his hand and barked, "Watch it clown, this better not be a trick."

"Oh, come now young lady, where's your sense of adventure," Joker giggled a he pulled out the gold Owl pin.

Siren's eyes narrowed angrily. "Where did you get that?" she demanded

Joker laughed, "Oh, so it does mean something to you? Lemme tell you, at first I didn't believe your little group had gotten back together, and under such a new direction!"

"You know nothing about us."

"Say what you want missy, it ain't helping chuckles over there live any longer."

Siren put her gun down and turned her back on the owl, who nodded solemnly.

"Sorry brother," Siren told him, "know that your death will not be in vain."

"May the shadows be with you sister," the owl told her, lowering his head and preparing for his death. Siren vanished, leaving her comrade in the hands of the Joker.

"Wow, even for me that's cold hearted," Joker giggled, "Harley! Pass me the hammer!"

Harley handed the hammer to Joker again and the clown sung it golf style into the last owls head. Laughing maniacally, he motioned for one last hostage to be brought out. The complications with the last one ruined the mood, and he needed another to finish on a high note. Harley dragged out a man who had an expensive suit and who was powerfully built. Joker giggled in excitement, he loved killing rich guys.

"What do we have here," Joker muttered to himself as he bent down to pull the sac off the man's head

When he saw his face, Joker's eyes went wide. He stumbled backwards a bit, trying to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him. When he saw that it was real, he yelled, "HARLEY! WHERE DID YOU GET THIS ONE!"

"He was just some guy they dropped off last night sweetums," Harley chirped back from the other room.

"Oh shi…"

Suddenly, the wall next to Joker's desk exploded violently, sending the clown flying across the room.

0000000000000000000000000000 000000000

Batman packed up his utility belt, preparing for a stake out in his most hated enemy's territory. With the others able to fend for themselves, Batman could focus his attention on the clown now. He made sure to store as much as he could in the belt, so that he would be prepared for every possible situation. If there was one thing he had learned from all those years fighting the Joker, it was to prepare for the unexpected. The clown was unpredictable and unreadable, two qualities that made him an extremely dangerous psychopath.

"Christian?"

Batman turned towards the door and saw Kara leaning on the frame waiting for him.

"You ready to go?"

Batman put a couple more smoke bombs in one pouch and then answered, "As ready as I'll ever be."

He followed her into the living room, where Artemis, Flash, Eve, and Green Lantern were all waiting for him. Both the Flash and Artemis were in uniform, ready to begin their search. Green Lantern was in civilian clothing since his power could not be restored until he got back his ring. Eve had her headset on and the Bat laptop opened up, preparing the case file for their search.

"So what's the plan Bats?" Flash asked as he pulled out a loaf of bread and devoured it quickly.

Batman nodded to Eve, who pulled out the Armageddon State Map. She the uncapped a red, black, green, and blue pen and began to write.

"Flash, as you all know, is going to check out the Royal Flush Gang's operation," she told them, pointing towards the gang's territory, "There he will try to check as many places as he can drawing too much attention to himself. We do not want the guards noticing that we've hacked the collars."

"What happens if Luthor's soldiers notice me?" Wally asked curiously

"Then they will execute you, no questions asked," Batman answered, shutting the speedster up. He then nodded to Eve again, who continued her presentation.

She pointed towards another section of the map and said, "Superwoman, you will be investigating Intergang. Again, just as I told Wally, stay on the down low. Also, try and destroy any potentially dangerous weapons that they have managed to get a hold of. If things escalate I think it goes without saying that we don't want alien tech in the mix."

Kara nodded, looking down at the black uniform the league had designed for her. Unfortunately, her regular red, white, and blue was not very subtle.

"Artemis, you will be spying on March Hare's gang. Their theme is your favorite book, so I believe you should be able to figure out the inner workings of their minds. Just be careful, ever since Hatter died ten years ago, March Hare has had an obsession for killing blondes."

Artemis rolled her eyes, "Great, I get the crazy bitch."

"Finally, Batman will be investigating the Joker. Now I know I don't need to remind him that this is purely for reconnaissance and that he needs refrain from taking it any further then that, as much as he may want to."

Batman snorted, "I can control myself."

"Yes sir, but do remember that the Joker can sometimes bring out the worst in you," Eve told him

Batman knew Eve was right, she was always right. The Joker could provoke irrational reactions out of him; lead him into traps that he would otherwise avoid. The clown was his exact opposite. As Kara told him once, the Joker is the yin to his yang.

"Are we all clear on the plan," Batman asked

Flash shot him his winning smile and recited, "Go in there, find Superman or Miss M, then meet back here. Dismantle anything potentially dangerous, but avoid contact."

"My God, he has a memory," Artemis gasped jokingly. Flash huffed at her, sticking his tongue out. Then, in a millisecond, he was gone, shooting out of the room faster then a bullet.

"Good luck everyone," Kara said, opening up the window and bounding out, using her super strength to jump inhumanly high.

Artemis shot a zip line out of the same window and used her bow to slide down the line.

Right before Batman left, Eve pulled him aside to tell him one last thing.

"You know as well as I Joker probably doesn't have either of them. So why are you really doing this?"

Batman pulled out the recording he had secretly taken when he was in the hands of Identity. "Identity mentioned something called Operation Doomsday. Whatever it is, it's going to be big. I'm going to see if the clown knows anything about it."

Eve nodded and then let him go, moving back towards the couch next to Green Lantern.

Before he left, he told Eve, "Give Cassie my signal once she wakes up. When I give you the word, send her in after me."

Eve simply nodded and waved him off.

Batman took one more look back to their apartment, and then continued to make his way to Joker's territory. Unfortunately, he didn't have the bat mobile in Armageddon state, so getting around took longer then usual. He used his grapple hook and glider cape to move from rooftop to rooftop.

As he moved, he could see and here what was going on below. Prisoners were stealing, mugging, and murdering each other without remorse. None of the helicopters or guards patrolling the area did anything about it, but neither could he. As much as he wanted to regulate, he was on a time schedule, and if the Joker really did have either Superman or Miss Martian, which he seriously doubted he did, then he needed to act fast.

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After ten or so minutes of gliding and grappling, Batman reached a huge fence with a sign that said 'Joker World'. He almost had to gag when he saw the fence, shielding his eyes with his cape for a second. The barrier was made up of wrecked cars, broken stones, and dead bodies. Each body had a horrifying grin plastered to its face, along with a sign around its neck that read 'Welcome!'.

Batman gritted his teeth angrily, but managed to control his rage. How badly he wanted to make the clown pay. Diving off his perch, he glided over the wall of bodies and wreckage into Joker world. It seemed as if Joker had claimed an amusement park and all the buildings around it. He was most likely in the largest and most fortified place. That meant the main office was his most probable hiding spot.

"Oracle, I need you to activate the tracer in my cowl," Batman told Eve, pressing his hand up to his ear.

"Sure thing Mr. Wayne, but do you mind if I ask why?"

"Because," he answered, using the hidden touch screen in his gauntlet, "Whenever I go in there, I don't know if I'm going to come back out. If get taken out, send either Kara or Wally after me. Let Cassie and GL rest for now, those two are still in serious conditions."

"Of course Mr. Wayne."

Batman hung up the phone and began to scope out the territory. To his dismay, he found that many of Joker's guards had gotten their hands on military grade assault rifles. He had no idea how they were able to procure such dangerous weapons in what was supposed to be a maximum-security prison. Now there was a new problem in the mix, Batman had to find just who the hell Joker was getting these guns from, and put them out of business.

He made his way through the amusement park mile quietly, making sure not to alert any of the armed thugs. The night cloaked his movements perfectly, covering his black suit in a veil of darkness. His footsteps were practically inaudible as he crept past the guards posted on rooftops. Batman was unarguably one of the best masters of stealth in the world.

When sneaking past guards became more difficult, he began creeping up behind them and choking them into unconsciousness if it was necessary. Whenever he disposed a guard, he would lean his or her body up against something, so the others would not suspect anything from afar.

Batman began hearing the guards chatter the deeper he went into Joker's territory. He stopped for a bit to try and listen in to see if they'd give him anything useful. Joker generally wasn't one to keep his plans a secret. He was the type that wanted Batman to know _exactly_ what he was up to. Using his sonic amplifier, he eavesdropped on two guards standing outside the park office.

"So I heard the Bat's in here too," one of them said.

"Oh yeah?" the other responded, "It figures, guy's as crazy as we are."

"You aren't worried?"

"Why would I be? He's just some freak in a bat costume."

"I don't know Joe, he broke three of my ribs last time I ran into him."

The thug gave his friend a look of disbelief, "No way? Last time I escaped with just a couple bruises"

The other chuckled, "Well aren't you lucky."

"I wonder who's gotten the worst of it here, I mean other then the Joker?"

The older thug thought for a bit, and then answered, "I don't know, but the Joker has gotten it pretty badly. I remember that one time when he planted bombs under the mayor's office, Batman broke his arms, his nose, his collarbone, and one of his feet."

"Jesus, is it like that every time?"

"Not always, usually just when the clown pisses him off more then usual. That said, I just hope we don't run into him, he ain't gonna be happy when he finds out about all those dead hostages."

That was all Batman needed to move in for the interrogation. He descended down upon the two screaming guards and landed on top of the older thug. Using his batclaw, he caught the other thug named 'Joe' by the leg and pulled him back. Once within his reach, Batman grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the side of a building.

"Who did Joker take?" Batman snarled, pushing his bladed gauntlets up against the shivering thug's neck.

"I-I don't know! All I know is that there were some doctors and gangsters, but I don't know any names!"

Batman knew this meant the death of a reconnaissance mission and a birth of a rescue mission. If Joker had hostages, they weren't going to last very long. Knowing him, the hostages from the other gangs were probably already dead.

Batman quickly raced into action, pulling out his grapnel gun and shooting up towards the office complex. He had to get there fast before Joker killed them all off. Using the x ray vision built into the cowl, he sized up the situation.

The Joker did not have a distinctive skeletal shape or height, so he was difficult to pick out from the rest. What did give him away was his faithful girlfriend Harley Quinn. The second Quinn was the one of the only, if not the only, women in the gang. Any other female members would cause her to be jealous, and thus were quickly dispatched of.

Batman immediately recognized Quinn among the crowd, and just as he had hoped, she was right next to another male. It had to be the Joker.  
Batman glided around the building to get a better view, but unfortunately Joker had poured cement over the one large window in his office that Batman could have gone through. He needed another point of entry.

"Oracle, what are the possible infiltration points for this building," Batman asked as he sent her the building schematics.

"Have you considered the front door?"

Batman smirked, "Wouldn't want it to be too easy."

"There's a ventilation shaft you can crawl through to get inside without being seen. It's on the north side of the complex. Good luck sir."

"I won't need it," Batman told her, spreading his cape and gliding over to his entrance point. Using the Batclaw, he pried the vent open and dove inside.

There are several ways to infiltrate a building. Using the vent was what Batman hated the most. Vents were cramped, hot, and sweaty. If it meant getting to the clown though, it was a risk he was going to have to take.

As soon as he got inside, he jumped out of the tiny metal tube and took to the rafters. There were four armed guards looking after a group of hostages, all huddled in the corner with their hands over their heads. He needed a subtle approach or else they would surely execute them.

Batman pulled out a five batarangs and threw them into the lights, causing the room to go dark. He then switched on his night vision and analyzed the situation. The guards seemed to be disoriented, good. This would be easy for him now.

"Oh shit, oh shit oh shit oh shit," one of them began to mutter as Batman moved above them.

The thug next to him, obviously a rookie, asked, "What, what's going on?"

Batman dropped down behind one of the thugs and silently took him out, covering his mouth so no one could here him scream. He melted into the shadows with the terrified thug before the others even saw.

"Grab a hostage!" one yelled, pulling one of the doctors off the ground and putting a gun up to his head, "He won't take us if it might kill one of these fleshbags!"

Rookie nodded and grabbed another hostage, training his pistol at his head. Before the third thug could grab one, the batclaw latched on to his arm and pulled him kicking and screaming into the darkness.

"What's going on, who's there?"

"It's the Batman rookie, now watch my back!"

Rookie quickly ran over to the other thug as the two held their hostages back to back. The two nervously rotated around each other, flinching at every crack or rattle they heard.

"You've seen him before geezer, right?" the rookie whispered, "can he really turn invisible?"

"Stay focused and stay attentive kid! We make one wrong move and we'll wake up in a hospital with broken legs and major concussions."

Batman racked his brain for possible ways he could take these men out without hurting their hostages. He noticed that one of the thugs had a grenade held in his hand, brandishing it threateningly. It was the perfect opportunity. Batman pulled out a batarang and aimed carefully, he only had one shot at this. After a deep breath, he threw the small edged projectile towards the thug. The batarang flew straight past the grenade, pulling the pin off as it went by.

"Oh fuck!" the thug screamed, throwing the grenade as far away as he could. Batman immediately swooped down and kicked the rookie at full force, cracking his jaw. Before the other thug could recover, Batman turned and punched him in the throat, leaving him lying on the ground gasping for air.

The hostages began to beg for mercy, crying in horror. Batman pulled off the sacs that were over their heads to see who the Joker had taken. One looked like an Armageddon State doctor and the other looked like an Lex trooper.

"Batman, thank God you're here!" the doctor sputtered, quickly standing up off his knees.

"Who has else has he taken?" Batman asked as he undid the ropes that bound both hostages together.

"You have to hurry Batman," the trooper quickly told him, "the Joker has him!"

"Hold on, who does he have?"

"Mr. Luthor!"

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion went off and the building shook violently. Batman shielded the group of hostages with his cape as debris began to fall from the roof.

Once the rumbling had finished and the ceiling stopped coming down on them, Batman yelled, "Get all of these people out of here quickly!"

The trooper and doctor both nodded and ran over to help the other hostages. As they began to run out, Batman turned back towards the door leading up to the Joker's office.

"Oracle, the situation has escalated," Batman reported as he made his way to the Joker.

"I just saw an explosion out of the window, what's going on?"

"The Joker has captured Luthor. I'm going after them."

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and remember to leave a review or a favorite! Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Please, if you like this story then give it a favorite or a review! I enjoy feedback and it helps me incorporate it into later writing!**

** IsaacClark: I'm glad you liked the chapter. As I said before, I'm planning to incorporate more villains in this story. I hope you enjoy this next one!**

Chapter Five: Situations Change

"Lexy old pal, how's it going?" Joker laughed, patting the bald billionaire innocently on the head.

Mercy Graves walked closer towards the clown and his girlfriend, holding her arm cannon out menacingly. Luthor stood up and walked behind his personal assistant, rubbing his wrists where the rope had bound him.

"God, you're just as annoying as the first one," Lex muttered, face palming and shaking his head.

"C'mon Lex, call of your cyborg and lets talk about this."

Lex glared at the clown, "Oh but Joker, I know how much you love death and destruction. Wouldn't your own demise be ironic in itself?"

The Joker threw his head back and cackled evilly, "HEHEHEAHAHAHAHHAA! I gotta say Lex, I wasn't expecting you to turn up in my little bundle of victims."

"Yes, well your little whore over there grabbed me while I was off guard. The stupid bimbo didn't even recognize who I was."

"Oh come now, I'm sure Harley didn't mean it," the Joker chuckled, not so subtly elbowing Harley in the ribs, "Did you sweetie?"

"O-Oh no, of course not Mr. J," Harley stammered as she cowered behind her sweetheart.

Lex knew the clown was trying to buy time, and it didn't bother him. He was confident that he had the Joker right where he wanted him, at the barrel of Mercy's particle blaster.

"Well Lex, I hope you know that you've cost me quite a bit of money. How am I supposed to repair this wall?"

Luthor nodded towards Mercy, who moved forward a bit. "I think the wall is the least of your worries."

"You don't say…"

Luthor motioned to Mercy, who began charging up her blaster. As the yellow orb began to form in front of the barrel of her arm cannon, Harley hugged Joker tightly, shivering with fear. Joker merely began laughing, almost doubling over he thought it was so funny.

Lex's glare hardened as he heard the clown mock his victory with his incessant chortling. He hated the Joker almost as much as he hated the Superman family.

"Sweetheart, why are you laughing?" Harley asked, her eyes wide with fear.

The Joker didn't even answer, rather laughed even harder, tears coming to his eyes as he let out his terrifying cackle.

Lex was fed up with the clown. "FIRE!" he yelled to Mercy, who nodded obediently.

Right before she could fire, a dark figure swooped in front of her. It grabbed her arm and pushed it quickly so it pointed out the window. The particle beam shot out the window and off into the sky, completely missing its target.

Lex turned back to the clown and saw Batman standing between him and the Joker. The Joker was now rolling on the floor, having snickering and giggling loudly. Harley seemed to be surprised that the Batman had actually saved their lives.

"What are you doing," Lex Luther growled,

"Stand down Luthor," Batman responded, holding his fists up threateningly

Mercy jumped on top of Batman, but was quickly thrown off and out the window.

"Batman, I didn't know you cared," giggled Joker as he stood up and wiped a tear from his eye.

"Shut up, you're next on my list," Batman threatened without even looking at the clown. He kept Luthor pinned on the ground while he called Oracle. "Send her over now."

"What do you expect to accomplish here dark knight?" Luther asked as he struggled against Batman's grip.

"I just need to keep you here as long as poss…"

Suddenly, something heavy whacked Batman upside the head. He rolled off Luthor and jumped up, fists raised. Joker was standing next to the downed Luthor holding a crowbar, grinning dangerously. Batman's eyes narrowed angrily; of course the Joker would attack him after he saved the clown's life.

"Oh this is going to be so much fun! A three man brawl," Joker laughed, swinging the crowbar back and forth menacingly. Luthor stood up shakily and quickly jumped backwards. He pulled out a pistol from his suit and began to fire at Batman and the Joker, who quickly dove for cover.

Batman's back was pressed against an overturned desk as bullets tore through the top part. It wasn't too long until Harley had tossed Joker an assault rifle, giving the clown the upper hand in firepower.

"What's red, dead, and has lots of holes in it? YOU TWO! _**HAHAHHAHHAAHAHAAAAHAHAAAA!**_"

The clown began unloading his gun, not caring where his bullets sprayed. A couple of his own henchmen were even taken out during his rampage. Luthor would occasionally pop his head out and fire a couple rounds. Lead sprayed across the office as the firefight got out of control. Batman knew he had to act fast, or else he wouldn't have much cover left.

He pulled out a batarang and took a quick look from out of his cover. After figuring out a good trajectory, he dived from out of cover and threw the batarang at the Joker, knocking the gun out of his hands. Luthor tried to take the opportunity to shoot the Joker. Batman quickly lunged at Lex, pulling the pistol out of his hands and elbowing him in the chest. He then quickly grabbed the Joker by the throat and threw him across the room before the clown could get his weapon back.

"Oracle, I need that extract now!"

"She should be there," Eve assured him, "just give her a second."

Batman suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, causing him to fall to his knees. He felt his shoulder and saw that he had been shot by none other then Lex Luthor. The bald billionaire stood up, coughing a bit from that last blow, and held his pistol up to Batman's head.

"And to think, I thought it would be Joker finishing you off," he chuckled

Right as he was about to pull the trigger, a golden rope wrapped around him and pulled him through the giant whole in the wall. Batman stood up shakily and saw Cassie floating outside with Lex tied up in her lasso.

"This much more difficult without super strength," she panted as she struggled to hold Lex up in the air.

"Fly him out of here as soon as possible and then come back for me," Batman told her, cringing slightly in pain.

Cassie nodded and flew off with Luthor, leaving Batman alone with the Joker. As Batman waited, he saw all the dead hostages strewn out on the floor. Joker had killed every last one of them. Six more people were dead because of that monster. Batman sucked up the pain and walked over to the Joker. He grabbed the Joker by the neck and violently pushed him up against the wall, cracking the concrete. It was time do get what he originally came for.

"Hehe, what's up doc?" the Joker coughed, smiling defiantly

"Tell me what you know about Operation Doomsday," Batman snarled, ignoring how much pain his shoulder was in.

"Hehe Hahahahaaaaa! What makes you think I know anything about it?"

"Tell me!" Batman growled, pushing his forearm into the Joker's throat.

The clown laughed, "C'mon Batman, use your bat brain! If I was behind it, don't you think I'd make _absolutely _sure you knew it was me? _**HAAAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAAAHAAAHAHA AHAAA!**_"

Batman wouldn't admit it out loud, but Joker had a point. He was the kind of sick mind that wanted people to see his crimes and know exactly who did them. As he was holding the Joker up though, something caught his eye. It was a gold glitter coming from the pocket of his purple suit. Batman dropped the Joker and picked it up, examining it carefully. It was a golden owl pendant, but he had know idea what it meant.

"What is this?" he demanded, still looking at the small pin

"Well since you asked so nicely, I got it from the one with the crushed skull."

Batman looked over and saw several victims with their heads bashed in violently. He grabbed the Joker's arm and began to bend it backwards. "Who did you get this from?"  
"Hehehehe, the ninja," the Joker laughed, "I got it from one of the owl ninjas…"

"Owl ninjas? You're a terrible liar Joker."

"Hehe, well then I guess I am just as crazy as they say, _**HAAHAAAHAHAAAAA!**_"

Batman threw Joker back on the ground and turned towards the giant whole in the wall. Wonder Woman was back, holding her hand out for him. Batman ran over and grabbed it with his good hand. Cassie quickly flew them off as more of the Joker's thugs began filing in the room. Batman looked back and saw the Joker smiling and waving, his white face tainted with red blood and purple bruises.

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Superwoman bounded through Armageddon State towards the Intergang territory. She was a little upset that she couldn't fly, but super strength was probably the most useful ability to keep. Intergang didn't have most of their alien tech in this maximum-security prison, so at least the job would be easier.

Superwoman wasn't very experienced with stealth missions, but she was a fast learner. For instance, Kara quickly found that she couldn't jump to high, or her landing would leave cracks in pavement. Also, she found that disposing of thugs would attract the attention others. Usually, dealing with multiple Intergang members wouldn't have been a problem, but Batman told them specifically to stay on the down low.

"Justice League, this is Oracle," Kara heard Eve announce over their radio connection, "This will be the first of routine check in's. Is everyone in position?"

"I'm down the rabbit hole," Artemis reported

"I'm now in the casino district," Wally told her

Kara checked her surroundings to make sure that no one was around to hear her, and then whispered, "I've infiltrated the industrial district."

"Good work, remember to let us know immediately if either Superman or Miss M so the other members can pull out. Oracle out."

Superwoman kept the frequency open and continued to move deeper into Intergang territory. If they had either Superman or Miss M, they'd be in the most high tech holding facility. She took a running start and jumped as high as she could and landed on the tallest smoke stack on the factory. Kara looked out on the whole district, trying to find the building that most likely held her teammates. With all the smoke coming out of the different buildings, it was difficult to see.

"God I miss x ray vision," Kara groaned quietly, squinting through the smog. She noticed there was a large storage facility about three blocks down that had multiple turrets posted around it. It seemed like an awful lot of security for a simple warehouse.

"Oracle, this is Superwoman," she called over the radio, "I think I may have found a holding facility."

"Good work Superwoman, engage with caution."

Kara nodded and bounded of the factory towards the large warehouse. She made sure to roll before she landed to prevent a noisy landing. As she jumped towards the warehouse, she noticed that some of the guns were turning towards her.

"Son of a…"

The turrets began to fire at her loudly, so much for stealth. Taking a deep breath, she launched herself high in the air, flipping and dodging the large shells that were being launched. Kara landed on top of one of the turrets at full speed, causing the large gun to crumple completely.

"At least this isn't apokolips tech," she thought out loud as she grabbed the barrel of the turret and ripped it off its base. Intergang members started to swarm her, but were quickly driven back when she began swinging the destroyed turret at them.

Once she had knocked most of the thugs back, she spun the gun around and threw it into the side of the warehouse. Before she could run inside though, a large robot suit jumped down in front of her, its fists raised and its weapons pointing right at her.

"There's the apokolips tech," she growled

"I'm gonna squash you bitch!" the pilot of the suit yelled as he raised the robot's giant foot up.

Kara jumped out of the way as the mech suit tried to squash her, and jumped up towards its chest. She unleashed a flurry of punches, but only managed to dent its durable chest plate. That was one well-made suit of armor.

The pilot laughed, "I don't know how you got your strength back Superwoman, but I frankly don't care! I'm gonna tear you a new one!"

The robot's hand morphed into a huge machine gun, which spun to life. Kara rolled and jumped to the side as he began unloading on her. As she strafed the bot, she grabbed a large sheet of metal left over from one of the turrets and used it as a shield. Once she could block the bullets, she charged towards the mech suit and jumped up in the air. Using momentum to increase her strength, she let loose a devastating punch into the robot's head. The pilot screamed as her fist went straight through the metal slammed right next to his head. The robot stumbled over and fell on its back. Kara grabbed the cockpit and tore it from the rest of the machine, throwing it away. Now it was time to rescue Superman.

Superwoman took a running start and then charged through the wreckage that blocked the hole she had made in the facility. Thugs began lining the halls, training their weapons on Superwoman. Kara thought fast and punched the wall next to her, causing the hall to shake and parts of the ceiling to fall down on top of the aggressors.

As Superwoman made her way through the facility, she heard Oracle call her up on the intercom. "Superwoman, what are you doing? This is a stealth mission!"

"Their turrets caught me," Kara answered as she began running through walls instead of using the hallways, "I'm not done looking through their facility yet."

"Well hurry up, helicopters are starting to fly towards your location. I don't think they know it's you who's causing the commotion, but get out of there as fast as possible."

Kara began to hear the whir of the helicopters' rotors; Eve was right, she didn't have a lot of time. She continued to charge through the building, looking in every possible place. Unfortunately, neither Superman nor Miss M was anywhere to be found.

Right as she was about to report her failure to Oracle, she heard a distinct echo coming from the floor. She decided to investigate it further, tapping on the ground around her.

"It sounds like there's a room under this," Superwoman said to herself. She pulled her leg up and stomped as hard as she could on the ground. Kara's foot went straight through the floor, and caused part of the ground around her to collapse. Kara took a deep breath and crossed her fingers at least one of her friends was around.

"Miss M, Superman! Are you there?!" Kara called, looking around the dark basement.

After a couple seconds, a weak voice responded, "Superwoman? I'm, I'm over here!"

Kara instantly recognized Conner's voice. She let out a sigh of relief; thank God he was all right. If she had lost a member of her family it would have torn her apart.

"Superman! Where are you?"

"I'm over here," Superman called, "I'm chained to the wall!"

Superwoman followed his voice through the darkness, occasionally stumbling over parts of the crumbled ceiling. It was a miracle he was still alive, she had thought Intergang would have killed him immediately. She finally spotted his red S shield and red cape.

She ran over and ripped off his chains, catching him when he fell off the wall.

"It would have been much easier to find you if you had just kept the blue," Kara joked, pulling him over her shoulder.

"Black looks good. I think Batman can attest to that."

"Oracle this is Kara, I've found Superman," Kara reported as she bounded out through the ceiling, holding Conner in her arms bridal style.

"Oh thank God, bring him back as fast as you can," Eve told her, sending out a signal to the others that Superman had been found.

Kara landed on the building opposite from the now completely collapsed warehouse. She didn't stop to look back at the havoc she had caused though; they had to get out before the helicopters could close in on them. As they escaped, she felt something that she usually never felt, fatigue. While her super strength may have given her durability, it did not provide the energy she had once had. Her jumps grew less powerful, and her muscles became sore. It sucked.

As they got closer to the apartment, a loud bang rang through the air. Kara whirled around and saw smoke and fire coming from the amusement park mile, Joker's territory.

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Cassie dropped Batman off on the roof of a tall office complex, where Lex Luthor was tied to a chimney. Batman stumbled a bit once his feet touched the roof, trying to gain his balance. The bullet that was still lodged in his shoulder was still causing him excruciating pain. He held his hand over his wound and made his way towards the businessman, who was smirking proudly. Cassie landed next to him, looking at him with concern.

"Batman, shouldn't we get that bullet removed first?"

Batman shook his head, "No, first we ask Luthor a couple questions."

He pulled his foot back, and then kicked Lex across the face, leaving a huge bruise on the side of his head. Lex glared at him calmly, but did not loose his cool. Batman knew that Luthor was going to be a tough one to crack; he was incredible at keeping his temper under control.

"I see we are not going to discuss this like gentlemen," Lex said, raising his eyebrow slightly.

"I'm sorry if I'm not too friendly to people who shoot me in the shoulder. Why are you in here?"

"I'm asking myself that right now."

Batman untied Luthor and grabbed him by the collar. Luthor's expression didn't change; he obviously didn't feel threatened. Batman punched him a couple times in the stomach, knocking the air out of the corrupt billionaire. He wasn't going to put up with this. He had been shot in the shoulder and hit in the head by a crowbar. Batman was not in the mood for a smart ass. He let Luthor fall to the roof and lay there gasping for air. It was the only way to get to him, through humiliation. Batman kicked Lex in the gut, showing the businessman that he had no control of the situation.

Finally, he snarled again, "Answer me!"

"I was dragged in here after I funded and constructed Armageddon State," he coughed angrily, "You catch that genius, I was betrayed!"

"By who? WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?"

Luthor merely smiled and answered, "Shadows."

That earned him a kick to the chest and multiple punches in the jaw. Batman continued to beat Lex Luthor until his nose bled. As he was about to break his jaw, he suddenly dropped Luthor and stumbled back. Batman clutched his shoulder angrily, that damn thing was holding him back. Cassie quickly flew over and caught him as he stumbled backwards.

"Batman, please go get medical attention," Cassie pleaded

The dark knight merely pushed her off and growled, "No, not until I get answers."

Luthor stood up with difficulty and dusted himself off. He smiled confidently at Batman and chuckled, "I must say Batman, I have always admired your tenacity. You have the will and strength do things most super powered beings cannot. Like me, you are a true testament to human achievement."

"Shut up, you and I are nothing alike," Batman grunted, still holding his shoulder

"How are we not alike? We both are mere mortals who stand amongst those who think themselves gods. You know, the day you defeated the Justice League singlehandedly was a victory for mankind. It's a shame you had to join them."

Batman tried to ignore the scary similarities they actually had and went back to the interrogation. "Who gave you the idea?"

"Why would I tell you that? While they may have betrayed me, I still would enjoy their company more then the JLA's."

"Because," Batman told him, reaching into his cape, "If you don't, I'll destroy this."

Batman pulled out a small vial of glowing green liquid so that Luthor could see it clearly. Lex's eyes shot open with fear, something not many saw from him. He ran towards Batman, yelling with anger. Batman sidestepped past Luthor and kicked him back onto his back. He slammed his foot into Lex's face and leaned on it, causing him to squeam and grit his teeth in pain.

"I grabbed it before I dropped you. What is it Lex, is this how they paid you?"

"Give it back! Give it back or I will make you and all those you love suffer!"

Batman pushed his foot down even more into Lex's face, holding the vial just out of reach. "This is Lazarus isn't it? This is how you've been able to stay so young for so long!"

"The League of Shadows!" Lex yelled, "They came to me with the idea! I was running out of time, and they came to me with the secret of immortality! It was a perfect deal!"

Batman began to pour the green liquid out, much to Luthor's horror, "I'm getting impatient Lex. The League of Shadows disbanded many years ago after both Ra's and Talia died. They had no successor, no tell me the truth!"

"Stop, stop! I promise you that I'm telling the truth!"

Batman closed the vial and threw it over to Lex, who caught it and held it close to his chest pathetically. He glared back at Batman and pocketed the serum; trying to scrounge together what dignity he had left.

"I hope you enjoy your immortality Lex, though I doubt you'll be wanting it in here," Batman spat. He then turned and walked back to Cassie, who was waiting for him near the edge of the roof. Batman growled in pain as the bullet in his shoulder shot another burst of agony through him. Cassie helped him up and flew them off towards the apartment, where they would meet with the others.

"Batman, what's going on," Cassie asked as they flew off towards the apartment.

"Someone's gotten their hands on the Lazarus pits," Batman answered.

He knew how bad this situation was. Whoever had control of the pits would be practically unstoppable. The league of shadows couldn't still be around; they never had an heir. Without Ra's or Talia, they were nothing.

They landed outside the apartment and quickly went inside so no one would see them. Cassie helped Batman walk upstairs, but never carried him. He wouldn't let a bullet wound beat him.

Cassie opened up the door and walked Batman over to a chair. Batman refused to sit down though; he just stumbled off into his room and closed the door.

"What happened," Kara asked, standing from her seat as she looked at the trail of blood Batman had left.

"He needs medical attention," Cassie answered, "Where's Eve?"

"She's tending to GL's arms right now; they're trying to reset the bones in his arms. Can anyone else help him," Flash said

Artemis shook her head, "I don't know the first thing about that stuff. We just need someone to remove the bullet."

"Kara," Conner coughed, sitting up from the couch he was lying down on, "Didn't you learn how to do these kinds of things from Superman?"

Kara nodded, "Yeah, I can probably get it out of him. That is, if he hasn't already ripped it out himself."

"I hope he hasn't tried to stitch himself up. Batman never was the best medic," Cassie said in agreement

Flash zoomed around the room and collected the necessary medical supplies. He handed them to Kara, who examined the tools before storing them in one first aid kit. Kara went into Batman's room, leaving the rest of the team, minus Eve and Green Lantern.

When Kara entered Batman's room, she saw him sitting there without the top half of his suit on, other then the cowl. He held bloody tweezers in his hands, as he was about to swallow some pain pills. Batman turned around and saw Kara standing at the doorway, and then went back to trying to stitch himself up. Kara gave him a faint smile and sat down next to him. She took the tweezers from his hands, earning her a suspicious glare.

"You always make a mess whenever you try to play doctor," Kara joked, pointing one of the lamps at the wound.

"Apparently being a medic is the one thing I can't do."

Kara put the needle in her mouth as she pulled the wound open a bit to find the bullet. She carefully took hold of the bullet with the tweezers and pulled it out with expert precision. Batman winced a bit, but he knew whatever pain he was experiencing right now was noting compared to what it would have been had he performed the procedure.

"Please be more careful Christian," Kara told him in a worried tone of voice as she put the bullet on a tray next to his chair, "Most of us would like to have you here at the ripe old age of forty."

Batman chuckled, "That'd be a miracle wouldn't it?"

"I'm serious Christian, this could have killed you!"

"But it didn't. I got here just in time."

Kara poked the needle through his skin and began to sew him up. Batman gritted his teeth, refusing to show any emotion. Kara noticed his contorted face and rolled her eyes.

"You know, it's alright if this hurts," Kara told him

"I'm fine," Batman responded gruffly

Kara knew that he'd never let her know how he felt. He had been shoving everyone away ever since the tragedy that happened three years ago. Christian had his entire family ripped away from him, his father and his beloved sister were both shot dead by a nobody. The shock of the event piled with the massive guilt he felt after the event drove him into a deep depression, and out of that depression the Batman was once again born. Christian was now just an empty shell in which the demon of the concrete jungle inhabited.

"Christian, why didn't you get someone to help you with this?"

"The pain makes me learn from my mistakes. I shouldn't have taken my eye off Luthor, but I did. Now I won't," Christian answered

Kara wrapped his shoulder up and examined it carefully. The stitches were all in place and the bandage was tight enough to protect them. Batman eyed the bandage and nodded thanks to her. Kara leaned over and kissed him on the cheek lightly, "There, that should be better. Just stay off it for a little while."

"Thanks Kara. With Eve gone I couldn't have done this without you."

Kara laughed, "Yeah, I know I'm great."

Batman smirked; Kara could always coax a smile out of him. He stared at her as she put the tray away, watching her beautiful golden hair and her sky blue eyes. When she turned around, she gave him a suspicious look.

"What's wrong?"

Batman quickly realized what he was doing and looked away. He couldn't believe he had lost his self control like that. Kara giggled as Batman looked away, trying to hide his blush. He hated that she could do this to him. The feelings she could give him were horrifyingly similar to the ones Siren gave him.

"What you got there?" Kara asked, leaning over his shoulder and looking at the items on his desk.

Batman had the golden owl pendant, the Siren's encrypted device, and a sample of the Lazarus enzyme. Batman picked up the owl pendant and held it up to the light. "These are all related somehow, but I can't figure out how," Batman answered, "A golden owl pin has nothing to do with the League of Shadows or Siren, as far as I know."

"How could there be a League of shadows be back when Ra's al Ghul is dead?"

"I don't think there can be. My father was the only other one who would have been accepted as the head of the demon, so there's no one else who would have the blood right."

"Hold on, since you're his son, does that mean you could lead them?" Kara asked him, taking the owl pendant out of his hand.

Batman shook his head, "My mother wasn't Talia al Ghul though. Since my father turned down the position, I technically have no claim to the position. Also, why would I be here if I was the leader of the League of Shadows?"

Kara began to rub his shoulders to calm him down, "Relax, I was just kidding. Do you know how this Siren woman ties into all this?"

"I don't know, but she doesn't seem like an average criminal. She only takes from other felons. She's above all this."

Kara stopped massaging his shoulders and crossed her arm angrily, "I'm glad you see so much in an assassin and thief."

"She wants to bring justice Kara, she's just lost," Batman answered, pulling out the device she had left behind, "Besides, you know my mother was the same way."

"Yes, well as I remember she left your family and never came back."

Batman turned and glared angrily at Kara, clenching his fists.

"Oh God, I'm sorry Christian, that was too far," Kara apologized

Batman held the bridge of his nose and sighed, "No, it's fine. She did leave us."

"I'm just telling you to be careful with this woman, you have no idea what her real intentions are."

Batman nodded, "It's just there's something in her eyes that I recognize. There's certain despair, a burning rage in them. I know it because that's the same rage I feel every day, that drives me. The thirst for revenge."

Kara looked down sadly, but Batman did not notice. He was too focused on cracking this device and finding what was behind this. Operation Doomsday, Identity, all of it was related.

**A/N: Thanks for reading the chapter. Please review or favorite!**


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